Kinship, Islam, and the Politics of Marriage in Jordan: Affection and Mercy (Public Cultures of the Middle East and North Africa)

"In Kinship, Islam, and the Politics of Marriage in Jordan, Geoffrey Hughes sets out to trace the "marriage crisis" in Jordan and the Middle East. Rapid institutional, technological, and intellectual shifts in Jordan have challenged the traditional notions of marriage and the role of powerful patrilineal kin groups in society by promoting an alternative ideal of romantic love between husband and wife. Drawing on many years of fieldwork in rural Jordan, Kinship, Islam, and the Politics of Marriage in Jordan provides a firsthand look at how expectations around marriage are changing for young people in the Middle East even as they are still expected to raise money for housing, bridewealth, and a wedding. Kinship, Islam, and the Politics of Marriage in Jordan offers an intriguing look at the contrasts between the traditional values and social practices of rural Jordanians around marriage and the challenges and expectations of young people as their families negotiate the concept of kinship as part of the future of politics, family dynamics, and religious devotion"-- Provided by publisher Cover 1 Title Page 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 Acknowledgments 10 Note on Transliteration 14 Introduction: A Crisis of Marriage, A Crisis of Legitimacy 18 Part 1. The House: Changing Conceptions of Property and Domestic Space 54 Chapter 1. The House 56 Chapter 2. The Housing Market 91 Part 2. The Proposal: Making Persons and Other Moral Agents 114 Chapter 3. The Delegation 116 Chapter 4. The Courthouse 147 Part 3. The Wedding: Privatizing Joys? 176 Chapter 5. The Feast 178 Chapter 6. The Chastity Society 212 Conclusion: Affection and Mercy 244 Bibliography 256 Index 270 About the Author 280 In , Geoffrey Hughes sets out to trace the marriage crisis in Jordan and the Middle East. Rapid institutional, technological, and intellectual shifts in Jordan have challenged the traditional notions of marriage and the role of powerful patrilineal kin groups in society by promoting an alternative ideal of romantic love between husband and wife.Drawing on many years of fieldwork in ruralJordan, __in Jordan____Kinship, Islam, and the Politics of Marriage__