All about Marriage
If you are looking at alternative marriage structures, make sure you know whether you are researching arranged marriages where the man and woman have both agreed to marry (which lots of people think are a good thing) or forced marriages where the woman (and sometimes man) have not agreed to the marriage (which is illegal in virtually every country. People confuse this so much that if you google "arranged marriage + Australia" the first things that come up are all about forced marriages!
Different kinds of marriages
Every culture celebrates family unions differently. these documentaries give you insight into different marriage traditions (including arranged marriages)
Compass: Do or don't [http://www.abc.net.au/compass/s341474.htm] SBS Insight: Kissing Cousins [http://www.sbs.com.au/news/insight/tvepisode/kissing-cousins] Compass: Faithfully Yours [http://www.abc.net.au/compass/s2601085.htm] shows the wedding preparations of multi-faith couples.] Arranged Marriages
Is Arranged Marriage Really Any Worse Than Craigslist?This Insight episode is an excellent starting point for research into arranged marriages as it shows lots of different opinions. New York Magazine asks whether it's any different to finding a partner on Craiglist, while Vogue tells the story of an arranged marriage that turned into a love marriage.
The legal issues in Australia are explored by the Department of Immigration and explained a little more in Is our marriage valid for visa purposes Something I found very ethnocentric about the migration documents in Australia is that Arranged marriage is presented along with forced marriage, as if this is a common overlap! This sounds like an unimportant things stashed away in a government doc, but this is significant because it both represents and frames the way arranged marriages are viewed in Australia. Compass: Sihking Whoopi [http://www.abc.net.au/compass/s2619299.htm] follows a Sikh family arranging a marriage (transcript is stil there - it goes through processes of arranging which are quite alot like tinder!) Randa abdul-Fattah [http://www.mamamia.com.au/lifestyle/arranged-marriage/] Think about: Who gets married and why? What cultural imperatives drive people to marry? What are the lived differences (ie in real life, not the movies, adn as time passses) between love and arranged marriages? Who does or should do the arranging? What about de facto or gay relationships? Positive perspectives can also be found in this interview with an American psychologist, Dr Epstein This interview with author Nandini Krishnan gives an overview of issues in South Asian communities. she has also written a book of case studies, which you can find out about in this interview. Chinese Marriage Markets have been on the increase since 2007. You can read an overview about them at the Huffington Post, but The Spectator and Finding 'Love' in China have more detail. Forced Marriages
In Australia it is illegal to force someone to marry. The Attorney General's Department [http://www.ag.gov.au/CrimeAndCorruption/HumanTrafficking/Pages/ForcedMarriage.aspxhas and Antislavery Australia [http://www.antislavery.org.au/resources/fact-sheets/97-fact-sheet-5-what-is-forced-marriage.html] have useful factsheets about forcecd marriages from a legal perspective. the Good shephard wrote an accessible report in 2014.
Some documentaries dealing with this topic include: 60 Minutes [http://sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au//stories/8866557/forced-marriage-an-extraordinary-story-of-kidnap-survival-escape-and-hiding] Insight: [http://www.sbs.com.au/news/insight/tvepisode/arranged-marriage-0] The State Library of NSW has an excellent portal on forced marriage [http://guides.sl.nsw.gov.au/content.php?pid=273664&sid=4524360], designed for lagal studies students but also useful for CAFS. for a very academic discussion, try Simon/Burns Report [http://www.mulr.com.au/issues/36_3/36_3_5.pdf]. Sydney Morning Herald [http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-28/teen-prevented-from-flying-overseas-for-arranged-marriage/5774364] Gay Marriage
Books about gay marriage can be found in the non-fiction section at 306.85 (the second aisle of the new shelves)
Australian marriage equality.org [http://www.australianmarriageequality.org/12-reasons-why-marriage-equality-matters/] has an excellent introductory website explaining 12 reasons why they are lobbying for marriage equality. A very personal argument for gay marriage (regarding homophobia and the high suicide rate you young gay people) is presented by Nigel Featherstone at the Sydney Morning Herald [http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/marriage-is-about-love-heterosexual-or-otherwise-20120329-1w0tf.html]. Same-sex marriage is currently illegal in Australian law, but it is frequently debated in parliament.Murdoch University's Electronic Journal of Law [http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/MurUEJL/1996/28.html] and Adelaide University's law blog [http://blogs.adelaide.edu.au/public-law-rc/2013/09/24/same-sex-same-old-marriage/] look at the legal aspects of gay marriage. These documentaries and reality shows give a good overview of the arguments on either side of the debate: Compass: State of Union [http://www.abc.net.au/compass/s3251946.htm] Compass: Right vs Rite [http://www.abc.net.au/compass/s3251965.htm] SBS Insight: [http://www.sbs.com.au/news/insight/tvepisode/gay-marriage] Response to Insight [http://www.islamicboard.com/general/134321102-australian-imam-calls-gay-marriage-mosques-sbs-insight-tonight.html] This blog, created by conservative Christian groups [http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2011/05/20/3222067.htm], is one of the least subjective arguments against gay marriage. Please read the arguments critically as some of the facts are wrong. For example defacto relationships (which can be heterosexual or homosexual) do not give a couple the same rights as a married couple in all circumstances - this is especially evident when one partner dies and the birth family (who might not approve of their child's relationship) has more legal power than a long-term de facto partner! Another key area of inequality for de facto couples is immigration - it is extremely difficult to bring your partner to Australia if you are not married. However, the article has an interesting perspective about parents and children which would be well worth interrogating as part of your research. Bear in mind that there are major inequalities for de facto parents regarding adoption and IVF procedures. This Australian study on same-sex families [https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/same-sex-parented-families-australia/introduction] outlines alot of the issues explored above. |
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