A Cultural History of Marriage in the Age of Empires

Description

This volume looks at how, during the age of empires (1800–1900), marriage was a key transition in the life course worldwide, a rite of passage everywhere with major cultural significance. While in some ways the institution of marriage became threatened – for instance through rising divorce rates in Western societies – in others it became more anchored than ever before. In Western Europe marriage was increasingly regarded as the only way to reach happiness and self-fulfillment, and romantic partner choice became a new ideal, but material interests remained nevertheless guiding principles in the selection of a partner for life. In the United States former slaves obtained the right to marry and to formalize existing bonds after the Civil War, leading to a convergence in marriage patterns between the black and white population. In Latin America, marriage was and remained less common than in other world regions – due to the prevalence of consensual unions – but marriage rates were nevertheless on the rise. A similar trend was observed in Australia and New Zealand. In African and Asian societies, European colonial powers tried to change the marriage customs of indigenous populations ― for instance regarding polygamy and arranged marriages ― but sooner or later they had to adapt themselves and their colonial administrations in order to avoid major resistance. In a world of turbulent political and economic change, marriage and the family remained safe havens, the linchpins of society that they had been for centuries. 'A Cultural History of Marriage in the Age of Empires' presents an overview of the period with essays on Courtship and Ritual; Religion, State and Law; Kinship and Social Networks; the Family Economy; Love and Sex; the Breaking of Vows; and Representations of Marriage. List of Figures vi Contributors x General Editor’s Preface xii Introduction Paul Puschmann 1 1. Courtship and Rites: A Survey of the World’s Family Systems / Jan Kok 17 2. Religion: Between the Sacred and the Secular—Changes in Marital Life around the World / Karl Kaser 39 3. State and Law: Four Models for Regulating Marriage / Rebecca Probert 59 4. The Ties That Bind: Family and Kinship in Europe and Asia / Satomi Kurosu and K. Dilhani Wijesinghe 77 5. The Family Economy: Families, Work, and Marriage in the Western and Non-Western World / Angélique Janssens 95 6. Love, Sex, and Sexuality: Balancing Economic Considerations, Sociocultural Expectations, and Personal Desires / Paul Puschmann 117 7. Breaking Vows: Divorce in European and North American Literature of the Long Nineteenth Century / Karl Leydecker 139 8. Representations of Marriage: The Intricate Development of Bourgeois Marriage in Western Europe / Marja Van Tilburg 159 Notes 179 Bibliography 199 Index 228