Introduction
Inbreeding is a term used to describe the reproduction of individuals that are closely related genetically to each other. This term has a separate characteristic in relation to people, implying a cultural and demographic problem. Joint reproduction of genetically close people entails mutations, congenital deformities and degeneration of the genus. The genetic medical consequences of inbreeding due to the similarity of germ cells are quite heterogeneous and represent a wide list. It includes facial symmetry, high infant and child mortality, and loss of immune system function. The effects of inbreeding that destroy the genetic code and lead to the subsequent degradation of the population can be observed in all organisms, from humans to animals and insects. At the same time, looking far into the historical past, it becomes noticeable that it is this almost universally condemned and resonant phenomenon that plays an important role in the development of mankind. By tracing the history of inbreeding more concentrated on American soil, one can identify the ambiguous and consistent influences of this practice on the formation of a historical picture of the current modernity.
Historical Perspective
Due to the fact that several thousand years ago, when humanity was in its infancy of civilization, representatives of the homo sapiens lived in rather small and cramped communities. The isolation of the ancient tribes from each other periodically led to a vicious cycle of incestuous relationships. The finds of the last decade indicate the existence of incestuous tribes throughout primitive history, dispersed over the vast surface of the globe in small numbers more than a million years ago.
Historically, the influence of inbreeding has left an ambiguous effect in the past. On the one hand, it was this practice that provided an opportunity for a closed tribe to continue the race, on the other hand, the tribes waited to the extent that genetic deformities were in the vast majority. On the other hand, there is no exact confirmation that it was degeneration itself that caused the extinction of tribes. Most likely, the argument that small tribes cannot develop technologically and culturally with the same speed as large settlements works as an explanation. The impossibility of accumulating and improving knowledge in a low-popular society, characteristic of inbred tribes, most likely led to their disappearance.
Various Approaches
If one considers the full range of scientific perspectives on the phenomenon of inbreeding, some of the historical characteristics of its origins may become clear. Inbreeding is a rather controversial and uncomfortable topic, but at the same time scientifically attractive for the widest range of representatives of academic thought. It is noted that throughout the modern history of Western civilization, incest is perceived by the dominant of society as a taboo – a forbidden immoral and deserving of censure or severe punishment action. However, the second aspect of the taboo, in addition to its prohibition, is the desire to violate the prohibition, and from this position the phenomenon of inbreeding is considered by sociologists and anthropologists.
A revolutionary observation in the field of psychology is the statement of the Austrian psychologist Sigmund Freud that people, as individuals, are sexually attached to their closest relatives. Such a prospect, despite all the scandalousness and some immorality, has formed a whole layer of psychological and sexopathological thought. However, even Freud’s statement about the need for a taboo on incest can be disputed. The hypothesis of a desensitization effect is also likely, stating that children of different sexes brought up together do not normally experience mutual attraction. Thus, the justification for the prohibition of inbreeding as some kind of natural inclination within the family is debatable and is still being a subject of scientific discussion.
The influence of the phenomenon of inbreeding on the formation of modern humanity seems to be noticeable and moderately significant. Research from the British Biological Research Institute indicates that a fairly significant percentage of the UK population is genetically shaped as a result of extremely close incest (Embury-Davis, 2019). This in itself speaks of how fixed this practice was in the ancient history of the origin of modern civilization.
Inbreeding in American History
In modern American realities, incest tends to be associated exclusively with the crime officially categorized as sexual assault. However, the issue of inbreeding has been retaining its presence in American history for quite a long time. Speaking about the colonial history of America, one should point out the significant role that incestual relations played in the southern United States during the era of slavery. Incest manifested itself in various aspects of slave dominance, from the organization of the plantation system to the process of trading, leaving a traumatic mark on the liberated women of the Reconstruction period. Thus it makes sense in modern history to associate inbreeding with violent crime.
Throughout the twentieth century, inbreeding in the country was traditionally perceived as a class problem, prevailing in the lower classes of society, in underdeveloped and semi-abandoned villages and cities. American culture of the 20th century is brimming with images of the degraded incest offspring of the Southern states, in literature and film (Young 3). The problem of incest and inbreeding acquires particular urgency precisely in the moral aspect, becoming taboo even from the point of view of discussion.
However, this caution in relation to the problem only emphasizes its urgency. Incest is dangerous not only because of the genetic consequences of inbreeding, but also because of its immoral aspect. It is precisely because inbreeding violates the sanctity of the concept of the family that this issue causes such alarming reactions. In the 1980s, several shocking reports about child molester families in America’s sparsely populated cities created a huge panic about this issue. In the 1990s, researchers focused on childhood history and family history took this issue seriously, focusing on the issue of father-daughter relationships (Cleves 1). Another scientific approach to this topic also emerged in the 1990s – the psychopathological discourse considered the issue of incest from the position of pedophilic disorder. It can be argued that the refusal to hush up this problem and its coverage in the media had a certain deterrent effect.
Inbreeding in Today’s America
However, in the picture of modernity, sensational cases of inbreeding prove that the topic is still relevant. Despite the fact that incestuous relationships are illegal in all states of America, this problem penetrates into the current field of attention in various ways. The recent case of a marriage proposal between a father and his adult daughter in New Jersey has outraged the public and raised the question of consent in terms of incest (Boniello, 2021). A woman’s wedding to her mother’s half-brother in 2014 is another example of the relativity taboo against inbreeding in contemporary American culture, which can legally be broken by mutual consent. Romantic or platonic relationships between close relatives are thus possible and acceptable in the legal field – and there are several precedents in modern American history to confirm this.
In modern society, the most meaningful and reasonable approach to the problem of incest seems to be the lens of trauma that is inflicted on the victim of such relationships. The process of experiencing the consequences of incestuous violence is complex and lengthy, structuring in its movement from isolation and the inability to be heard to gaining a voice and independence. Overcoming a sexually psychic trauma of such depth is an experience that science is only learning to capture in words and terms. A noteworthy practice in the modern approach to inbreeding and domestic sexual abuse is restorative justice (Klar-Chalamish and Inbal 1059). Compensation for the socio-psychological damage caused is the guideline of this practice, and the accumulation of data on its effect may make it possible to prevent a certain number of cases of intra-family sexual violence in the future. The problem of inbreeding may be rooted in violence and oppression of the individual within the family. Therefore, spreading the narrative about this problem can have a certain preventive effect as well as give hope for a way out for those who may be experiencing it.
Conclusion
To conclude, modern American society not only did not eradicate the problem of inbreeding, but also complicated the perception of incestuous relationships. Historically, inbreeding has been an integral part of the development of human societies, which requires neutral acceptance. However, each case of incest can be viewed from different academic perspectives, both as a violation of an erotic taboo and as a social demographic catastrophe. Inbreeding has been a problem prevalent in America throughout its history, accompanying some of its most ugly pages. The moral implications associated with the aspect of mutual consent between sexually mature consanguineous partners creates a moral-legal contradiction in contemporary American culture.
Works Cited
Boniello, Kathianne. “New York parent seeks OK to marry their own adult child.” New York Post, 2021, Web.
Cleves, Rachel H. “From pederasty to pedophilia: Sex between children or youth and adults in U.S. history.” History Compass, vol. 16, no. 1, 2017, pp. 1-9.
Embury-Davis, Tom. “Thousands in UK born as result of ‘extreme inbreeding’, study suggests.” Independent, Web.
Klar-Chalamish, Carmit, and Inbal Peleg-Koriat “From trauma to recovery: Restorative justice conferencing in cases of adult survivors of Intrafamilial sexual offenses.” Journal of Family Violence, 2020, vol. 36, no. 8, pp. 1057–1068.
Young, Grace I. Understanding the Taboo of Incest in the American South Through Analysis of Southern Gothic Literature. 2021. University Honors Theses. Paper 1141.