Marriage as a Culturally Complex Phenomenon - Essay Example

?Introduction Marriage is considered as a culturally complex phenomenon in which biological relationships of individuals just play a small role. The interconnecting cultural, social as well as economic factors make marriage a relatively complex phenomenon which requires a deeper understanding of how such factors interact with each other. Viewed from the macro perspective of kinship, marriage is not just limited to sexuality but to the complex relationships between families, people and other cultural arrangements. Marriage is therefore not just limited to the sexual relationships but also encompass other functions such as care of children and other responsibilities which come with family.( Keesing and Strathern 1998) In certain parts of the world such as India and Saudi Arabia, marriage is more than just a sexual or relational bondage between two individuals. It is also a strategic alliance with diversified range of objectives and goals to be achieved. The practice of exogamy is relatively old practice with Greeks even involved in the marriages outside one’s kinship as a way to form strategic alliances with other families. The overall purpose of such marriages may be relatively diverse and different however, the strategic alliances through marriages signified a greater shift from the established patterns of kinship. Marriage through exogamy therefore no longer remained as typical marriages between two individuals. This paper will explore the notion of whether in certain societies marriage is not a matter of choice but a strategic alliance between families. With ethnographic emphasis on India and Saudi Arabia, this paper will outline the ethnographic case studies of these two cultures. Kinship & Marriage The exact meaning of the word kinship is still debatable however; it signifies a complex web of relationships which actually govern the human life in any given society. The kinship actually forms that complex web of relationships which is being faced by the humans in their ordinary course of life in societies where they live.( Holy,1996) On a closer analysis, kinship therefore may also refer to what humans do in such ordinary course of their life such as parenting, gestation, reproduction, mating, socialization etc. however, from the perspective of anthropology, it may be suggested that kinship is the study of such relationships within themselves or across human cultures where humans living in two different cultures actually relate with each other according to the customs and cultural norms of that society.( Bates and Plog 1990) Few of the underlying concepts of kinship include family as well as marriage wherein family is considered as basic unit. A family is considered as a group of people who are either related with each other due to birth, marriage or shared consumption. Due to its typical nature, it is also considered as the primary unit for children to socialize besides developing an economically productive household. Underlying this concept of family is also marriage which outlines the affinity and is often considered as the recognized union or contract between two persons which outline their rights and obligations between themselves and with their children.( Fox,1967) Since the overall nature of the concept of kinship is so diverse that it also suggests a similarity or affinity between the entities on the basis of certain characteristics. As such the relationships which emerge due to kinship can be either through blood or through relationships. As such the social organization of community often depends upon how the overall relationships between people are governed through kinship in that society. This complex web of social relationships and how people actually relate with each other clearly depends upon kinship. Marriage is one of the characteristics of kinship which outline how such social relationships between individuals can actually emerge and develop. A marriage is considered a legal contract or recognized union between the individuals which establishes certain rights and obligations between themselves, between them and their children and with their in-laws. As such, marriage signifies a complex structure of social relationships which emerge as a result of the bond or affinity created between two individuals. In most of the societies, marriage has been given a religious as well as the social recognition and as such sexual relations between the individuals are governed by whether there exists a marriage or not. In the absence of marriage, sexual relationships between man and woman are viewed negatively in certain societies and religions and may therefore also attract certain other social restrictions as well as obligations. The Western idea of freedom and liberty suggests that individuals shall have a free will and choice in every matter of life. As such choosing one’s spouse is also considered as a matter of choice. However, in certain societies, this may not be the case always. (Maynes, 1996) Marriage, choice and strategic alliances Though the Western idea of freedom of choosing one’s own spouse is considered as essential and important however, it is not universal in nature. In many societies, choosing the right spouse is given utmost importance and is therefore not left to the whims of the children to decide on their own. This view of the role of parents in deciding the spouse is relatively stronger in societies like India and Saudi Arabia where families are involved in taking the decision on marriage. Since marriage is also a form of exchange and an opportunity to further develop social relationships therefore the resulting alliances and affinity which emerges as a result of marriage between families is given more importance over the fact that ultimately those marrying with each other have to spend their whole lives with each other. As such, the issue of marriage is not just limited to the establishment of recognized union between two individuals but between the families also.( Stone, 1998) Though it may be rare in North America to have arranged marriages however, it is not uncommon in some parts of the world such as India and Saudi Arabia where the role of parents is important in deciding about the marriages. Often such arranged marriages are arranged for the economic and political advantage of the family unit and as such are being done in order to formulate strategic alliances between families. The case of Saudi Arabia Considering the history of Islam and its importance in Saudi Arabia, it can be clear right from the start of Islam that marriages may be an important tool to achieve strategic alliances between the families. The Prophet of Islam married 11 times to different women and most of them remained alive and with him during his life time. However, one of the key reasons for such large number of marriages was to form the political alliances with influential families in order to spread Islam and achieve relative degree of peace in the region. As such marriage was used as a tool to bind clans together in order to flourish the message of the new religion. It is also critical to note that in Saudi Arabia specially married women retain the name of their original family even after the marriage. Though the family is known after the name of the male member of the family however, women, even after their marriage are allowed to retain their previous surnames. This sometimes results into further strengthening of the family ties specially in case of marriages performed outside the clan or the family. The current structure of family in Saudi Arabia is still based upon the lineage and clans therefore in a patrilineal lineage where family is being known with the male names are often associated with the values and structure of the clans. The marriages outside the clans therefore are often viewed as a strategic alliance between the families. A special case in point is that of the Saudi Royal family which in order to maintain the loyalty of the tribal leaders allow intermarriages between the clans. The male members of the royal family often marry the women from other tribes and vice versa in order to ensure that the political alliances and loyalties can be further strengthened and maintained. It has remained a historical practice within Saudi Arabia that the King chooses different wives from the different groupings of tribes in order to achieve the overall political objectives. The case of India India has a relatively rich cultural history and unique values thus making it an important case in point. Marriage in India both has the religious as well as economic and social significance. In a society like India, marriage and family are almost interconnected and it becomes significantly more important for the families to seek arrange marriages rather than allowing individuals to marry each other. The family system in India is based upon a Hindu Joint Family system where the overall relationships between the individuals are defined based upon the lineal relationships. Daughters are often considered as the temporary members of their father’s family as they are supposed to get married and leave the home of their parents. What is critical to note however is the fact that in India, the inheritance is not distributed equally between the sons and the daughters therefore the marriages are often conceived in a manner which can protect the further dilution of family’s wealth.( Hoiberg and Ramchandani, 2000) India has one of the strongest caste systems in the world and as such marriages often take place based upon one’s cast and religious group. Within the Hindu Religion, there are different castes which differ from each other and as such marriages are settled and decided upon factors other than the personal choices of the individuals. In many Indian communities such as Jat in Northern India, there is an established practice of re-marrying the widow with the husband’s brother. This practice is considered as a step towards further solidifying the family bondages. Marriages therefore within India take place within equal status and are defined by the caste system. Within this caste system however, families often decide upon marriages according to the factors which result into strategic alliances. Marriages, if ever take place outside the caste system or family, are also based upon the tracing of any mythical ancestor which further strengthens the overall relationship between the families even if they are not related with each other through their family or caste. Further segregation of the marriages and formulation of the strategic alliances between the families often take place due to the economic status of the individuals. This is often based upon the land ownership within rural India where the amount of land owned by one family determines as to how the overall kinship group may be defined for such family. It is also critical to note that India is a multi-religious country though the State has no religion. The religious differences also play an important role as to how the marriages are decided by the families. The marriages between the male and female belonging to two different religions is also often considered as a strategic alliance to help forge better relationships between the people of different religions. It can be concluded that in India, the marriage may be a tool to create strategic alliances between the families however; the reasons for such marriages are relatively different and diverse in nature. The caste differences as well as the religion and economic factors play a critical role in how families actually decide on the marriages and what factors contribute to such decisions. Conclusion Marriage is considered as a culturally complex phenomenon in which biological relationships of individuals just play a small role. The interconnecting cultural, social as well as economic factors make marriage a relatively complex phenomenon which requires a deeper understanding of how such factors interact with each other. The above discussion suggests that in Saudi Arabia as well as in India there are different factors which contribute towards marriages being the strategic alliance between the families. In Saudi Arabia, the overall reasons are mostly political and economic in nature wherein Saudi Royal Family often forms strategic alliances with different clans in order to retain their loyalty and allegiance. However, in India, religion, caste system as well as economic factors contribute towards how the strategic alliances are actually being formed between the families as a result of such marriages. References Hoiberg, D. and Ramchandani, I. 2000. Students' Britannica India. New Delhi: Encyclopaedia Britannica (India) Keesing, R. M. and A. J. Strathern 1998. Cultural Anthropology, New York: Harcourt Brace Press. Holy, Ladislav 1996 Anthropological Perspectives on Kinship. London: Pluto Bates,,Daniel G. and Fred Plog 1990 Cultural Anthropology. New York: McGraw-Hill. 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