Meaning of fictive kin | Babel Free

Definitions

Someone who, though unrelated by birth or marriage, has such a close emotional relationship with another that they may be considered part of the family.

countable, uncountable

Examples

“Ebaugh (2000) described three types of fictive kin (family-type) relationships, based not on blood or marriage, but rather on religious rituals or close friendship ties, that constitutes a type of social capital which many immigrants bring with them that facilitates their adjustment to the host society. […] Fictive kin are shared widely in Spanish-speaking countries, Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.”

“Most studies indicate that Black family members live in proximity, in part an outcome of segregated communities. These close-knit communities helped to produce strong fictive kin relations with neighbors and fellow church members, which in turn provided support in the face of discrimination from the larger society.”

“In the socialist era […] [t]he custom of making fictive kin became less popular or went underground. Since the late 1970s, however, the custom has revived in Nanying. While many features of fictive kin relationships remain the same, the motive for establishing the relationship has changed. Most commonly, people attempt to improve household status through the establishment of fictive kin links.”

“Attaining fictive kin status requires that a person have prolonged physical proximity to a family member in order to develop a relationship that is both interdependent and mutually beneficial. Persons generally obtain fictive kin status by consistently contributing to the emotional or material needs of an individual over time.”

CEFR level