The practice or rule of marrying outside a specified social group, such as one's gotra, clan or village.

Can exogamy and endogamy exist together?

Yes, and in India they typically do. Marriage is commonly required outside the gotra while remaining within the caste.

Exogamy

noun (uncountable)

/ɛkˈsɒɡəmi/

The social rule or practice of marrying outside one's own social group — clan, gotra, village, or caste sub-division. Exogamy is a defining feature of the Hindu kinship system, particularly in North India, where marriage within the same gotra (patrilineal clan) is prohibited. It contrasts with endogamy (marriage within the group) and is enforced through social sanctions including khap panchayat decrees, though the Supreme Court has repeatedly held such restrictions unconstitutional when coercive.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

The constitutional validity of gotra-based exogamy norms was sharply tested in Shakti Vahini v. Union of India (2018), where the Supreme Court upheld the right to choose a marriage partner as a fundamental right under Article 21.

Synonyms

outmarriageoutbreedingcross-clan marriageheterogamy (partial)

Antonyms

endogamyinmarriageconsanguineous marriagegotra endogamy

🌱 Word Family

exogamous (adjective), exogamic (adjective), exogamist (noun, rare)

🔡 Root

Greek exo- = outside + gamos = marriage; literally 'outside marriage'

📜 Etymology

Coined in 1865 by Scottish anthropologist John Ferguson McLennan in his work Primitive Marriage, where he used exogamy and endogamy as technical terms for the two opposing marriage rules he observed across cultures. Derived from Greek exo- (outside) and gamos (marriage, from gamein = to marry). The term was swiftly adopted by Lewis Henry Morgan and other Victorian anthropologists studying kinship systems.

🧠 Memory Hook

EXO = outside (like 'exit' or 'exotic'). EXOgamy = marrying EXOtic — outside your own group. Think: EXOgamy is EXITing your group for marriage. Its opposite ENDOgamy = ENDing up marrying INside your group.

🎯 How This Word Works in UPSC Writing

The rule requiring marriage outside a defined group, whether gotra, village or clan. In GS1 it belongs in any answer on kinship, and the analytically useful point is that exogamy and endogamy usually operate together in India: marriage is required outside the gotra while being confined within the caste. Stating that combination is what demonstrates command of the structure.

⚖️ Don’t Confuse It With

Exogamy requires marriage outside a specified group. Endogamy requires marriage within one. Hypergamy is marriage into a higher status group. Village exogamy and gotra exogamy specify which unit the rule applies to, and they need naming because the unit is the whole point.

🇮🇳 Hindi Meaning

बहिर्विवाह (bahirvivāh); अंतर्विवाह (antarvivāh) is endogamy.

❓ Common Questions

What is exogamy?: The practice or rule of marrying outside a specified social group, such as one's gotra, clan or village.
Can exogamy and endogamy exist together?: Yes, and in India they typically do. Marriage is commonly required outside the gotra while remaining within the caste.

👥 Society 📖 Seen in: Salient Features of Indian Society — D...

Relevant across:GS1 · History, Geography & Society

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