When love takes over: Impact of the changing marital landscape on familial relations in Hindu North India

In Hindu North India marriage is a family-centred event. The vast majority of marriages is arranged, which means that family elders have an important input in the choice for a prospective spouse for their younger members. When arranging a marriage, the family seeks to form an alliance with another family with whom they share a number of characteristics and whose background is thus considered compatible in terms of caste, class and religion. Therefore, apart from the formation of new kinship ties, marriage is a crucial act in confirming and reproducing existing social and economic boundaries. However, the marital landscape appears to be changing as young individuals increasingly prefer what they label as love marriages. In this thesis I focus on how such love marriages are perceived amongst Hindus in North India and in which manner they differ from arranged marriages. Furthermore I look at how this increased preference for love marriages impacts local family and gender relations. I...Show moreIn Hindu North India marriage is a family-centred event. The vast majority of marriages is arranged, which means that family elders have an important input in the choice for a prospective spouse for their younger members. When arranging a marriage, the family seeks to form an alliance with another family with whom they share a number of characteristics and whose background is thus considered compatible in terms of caste, class and religion. Therefore, apart from the formation of new kinship ties, marriage is a crucial act in confirming and reproducing existing social and economic boundaries. However, the marital landscape appears to be changing as young individuals increasingly prefer what they label as love marriages. In this thesis I focus on how such love marriages are perceived amongst Hindus in North India and in which manner they differ from arranged marriages. Furthermore I look at how this increased preference for love marriages impacts local family and gender relations. I argue how love marriages are not dichotomous to arranged marriages but instead show a lot of overlap. I show how not only young individuals, but their family elders and close kin as well creatively invent strategies in order to adapt marriages to the changing socio-economic circumstances.Show less

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When love takes over: Impact of the changing marital landscape on familial relations in Hindu North India