Romance on a Global Stage and Nicole Constables portrayal of agency in correspondence marriages - Term Paper Example

She reveals the role of social structures corresponding to race, class, gender, nationality in creating constrains towards correspondence marriages and its impact on the intersections of identities in a transnational context. Constable has tried to explore relationship between the migration and changing national boundaries vis-à-vis power structures in the society and gender relations. This essay intends to explore relationship between intersectionality and correspondence marriages and how race, class, gender, nationality influences the correspondence marriages in the transnational context.

Further, it aims to examine how social constrains are overcome by correspondence marriages and role of social structures in the marriages. Intersectionality and correspondence marriages Transformations in technology and spread of globalization are increasingly helping to overcome the hurdles of time and space. Easy access to internet has metamorphosed human life altogether. Traditional system of finding a partner is now outdated. People find their life partners through internet, social networking websites like facebook, twitter etc.

Constable has aptly pointed out this change. In brief, what is Constable’s assertion is that “"meeting marriage partners from abroad is not new, the internet has fueled a global imagination and created a time-space compression that has greatly increased the scope and efficiency of introductions and communication between men and women from different parts of the world" (4). Such changes work as catalyst for correspondence marriages. When a new social relation emerges, it gives birth to new conflicts in the society, which tends to remain static.

The rise in the number of correspondence marriages has given a new angle to hitherto diversified social relations. New forms of social and cultural categories have emerged which are not part of class, caste, gender, or nationality. As narrated by Constable that “men and women involved in correspondence relationships form an imagined global community that builds on commonalities of gender and nationality, yet also crosses national, ethnic, racial, and class boundaries" (11). There are general assumptions about the nature of women in a particular society.

These regional attribute of behavior also play an important role in correspondence marriages. Nationality, specific qualities of women, race, and sexuality are significant in correspondence marriages. Constable aptly points out that “race and sexuality are clearly important factors in the appeal of Asian women and white women from the former Soviet bloc" (97). Correspondence marriages too are certainly based certain perceptions. Therefore, Constable forcefully asserts that “women from African countries are not in demand as wives.

Submissiveness and deference do not seem to be stereotypical qualities attributed to women of African descent" (97-98). However, the author notes that in the cyberworld, Philippine women are quite popular because of their particular characteristics as perceived by people from other backgrounds. Constable reveals some of the good qualities of Philippines’ women as “they are warm, caring, understanding, honest, loving, and believe marriage is a life time commitment. They are the most loyal and faithful females in the world" (98).

Correspondence marriages reveal much more than commoditization of women as a sexual object, the image projected by web sites, and image of man as a mere consumers of these images. Women, as capable of being a fully constituted individual agent in herself, bargain their decisions and life choices with men whom they want to marry. It is not only a complicated process but also progressively transformative of the