COUSIN MARRIAGE AMONG KADAZANDUSUN COMMUNITY IN SABAH: ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL CULTURAL AND PERSONAL FACTORS

Cousin marriage remains a sensitive issue in many societies as it involves the transgression of social norms, customary practices, and kinship regulations. Among the Kadazandusun community in Sabah, Malaysia, marriages between close relatives are traditionally regarded as a violation of customary law and are commonly addressed through the implementation of adat sogit as a mechanism of social control. Nevertheless, such marriages continue to occur, raising questions about the factors that contribute to their occurrence. This study aims to examine the factors contributing to cousin marriage among the Kadazandusun community in Sabah. A qualitative approach employing a Phenomenological Life History design contextualised within an ethnographic approach was adopted. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and life history interviews, and subsequently analysed using thematic analysis. The findings reveal that cousin marriage is influenced by a combination of social, cultural, and personal factors, including individual autonomy in partner selection, the weakening of family-based social control, social pressures such as premarital pregnancy, and declining knowledge of family genealogy among younger generations. This study contributes to the anthropological literature on kinship systems and social change by demonstrating how shifting social values and transformations in family structure have influenced the occurrence of cousin marriage within the contemporary Kadazandusun community.