Guest Lecture - Sociology of Families - Ayesha PDF

Challenging Eurocentric Conceptions of Marriage & Families SOCI 371 Dr. Ayesha Mian Akram [email protected] Department of Sociology Uni...

Challenging Eurocentric Conceptions of Marriage & Families SOCI 371 Dr. Ayesha Mian Akram [email protected] Department of Sociology University of Calgary  Objective: ⚬ Consider marriage and families beyond Today’s Eurocentric, heteronormative, Agenda monogamous marriages as a singular model What is Eurocentrism? Examples: Arranged marriages & communal societies Polygamies at the edge of western tolerance Has anyone heard of the term Eurocentrism? Eurocentrism Eurocentrism: A European ‘centre’ characterized by values of superiority, progress, and monopoly over all other knowledge systems ⚬ Characterized as a singularity and as universal in comparison to the periphery or the ‘other’ ⚬ Connected to Orientalism, Edward Said’s concept of the Eurocentric knowledge construction about “the East” or “the Orient” as rooted in barbarity, savagery, exoticism, inferiority “Examples of differing marital and sexual norms make it difficult to claim there is some universal model for the success or happiness of a marriage” (Coontz, p. 23).  The Societal Role of Marriage in History “Probably the single most important function of marriage throughout most of history, although it is almost completely eclipsed today, was its role in establishing cooperative relationships between families and communities” (p. 31).  “For most of history it was inconceivable that people would choose their mates on the basis of something as fragile and irrational as love and then focus all their sexual, intimate, and altruistic desires on the resulting marriage” (p. 15). “Only rarely in history has love been seen as the main reason for getting married” (p. 15). Arranged Marriage is NOT Forced Marriage “Forced marriage is a marriage in which one and/or both parties have not personally expressed their full and free consent to the union. A child marriage is considered to be a form of forced marriage, given that one and/or both parties have not expressed full, free and informed consent.” Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations https://www.ohchr.org/en/women/child-and-forced-marriage-including- humanitarian-settings Arranged marriages are diverse, yet there are some commonalities: Significant support of families & communities Preliminary matchmaking based on religious, cultural, economic, and social backgrounds Couple is introduced, then communicates to determine compatibility Union is of mutual agreement and free consent to both individuals Love may or may not be there at the time of the wedding, although this does not mean that arranged marriages are always loveless  Tahir (2021), “Understanding Arranged Marriage: An Unbiased Analysis of a Traditional Marriage Institution” Arranged marriage is typically analyzed through “the lens of the modern free choice marriage system” (1) i.e. the liberal individualist or Eurocentric lens ⚬ Binary between arranged marriage versus autonomous marriage, arranged marriage versus love marriage “The autonomous marriage, thriving on individual choice, is perceived to be the ideal marital system, while the arranged marriage, supported by traditional kin authority, is not considered ideal. Resulting from this, the autonomous marriage sets the standards of an ideal marriage all marriages must aim for, including the arranged marriage. The arranged marriage is then measured by characteristics typical of the autonomous marriage system. However, the arranged marriage, even in its most modern manifestation, is not an autonomous marriage. Monitoring the arranged marriage as if it were or should be autonomous, emphasizes defects, deficits, lacunas in the arranged marriage on matters related to autonomy. Measured this way, the arranged marriage turns into something faulty. It becomes a marriage of shortcomings” (2). Tahir’s argument: “There is a necessity to study the arranged marriage on its own terms and not in a binary with the autonomous marriage” (2).  “A recurring question in literature is whether arranged marriage supports full and free consent. If consent is present, the union is considered an arranged marriage. Without consent the union is considered coerced. Consent separates arranged marriage from forced marriage.” (Tahir, 5) “The social principles of individual freedom and autonomy are given much weight in perspectives on the arranged marriage. However, such principles are not neutral. They are ‘European values, assumptions, cultural codes’, are ‘culturally-determined and biased’, and offer ‘limited historical perspectives’, providing a lens through which the arranged marriage is evaluated.” (Tahir, 5). Sliding scale of types of arranged marriages: Traditional, semi-arranged, love-arranged Even these definitions are biased as they are premised on a range of “autonomies” Arranged Marriage in Community Based Societies Societies in which arranged marriages are common differ from typically western European and North American societies rooted in individualism “As such, all arranged marriage cultures are hierarchical cultures, as they accord different roles and responsibilities to the elders and to the younger ones of a group; they are group cultures that strongly incorporate its members through loyalty to the group and its interests; they are all driven by parental guardianship and authority, rooted in protection, providence and voluntary compliance. These principles of community, hierarchy, guardianship and authority are foundational to the ‘way of life’ of the arranged marriage system” (Tahir, 12) Arranged Marriages & Matchmaking in a Digital https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNo1nNHiPcg Era https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZS2KbLAy5Y  Polygamies at the Limits of Western Tolerance Analysis of polygyny and polyamorous intimacies through an antiracist, anticolonial, and feminist lens Challenges Eurocentric heteronormative rhetoric in western nations that depict polygyny as homogenously “barbaric” Through an intersectional analysis of how polygamy is racialized as a national identity strategy, a non-judgmental and sociologically rich (and nuanced) analysis of these relationships and marriages in Canada, the United States, and France is explored How racialized immigrant communities are further discriminated against for engaging in “labyrinth love,” which is misunderstood and misconstrued in the white western heteronormative frame which, through legislation, idealizes monogamy.  “Canadian Law Needs to Catch Up with Polyamorists” Why is it important to challenge Eurocentric thinking when it comes to marriage and families?