The Handbook of Marriage in the Arab World

Abstract

This open access handbook combines multiple theoretical and practical approaches for enabling a nuanced understanding of the phenomenon of marriage in the Arab world. Adopting a holistic, interdisciplinary approach, it provides a framework for the contextual and macro factors surrounding and affecting marriage in the Arab countries. It looks at the different types of marriage, whether traditional or new to the Arab world, and takes a detailed examination of the dialectic of marriage and age. It considers the dynamics surrounding delayed marriages, early marriages, celibacy, marriage costs, and age gaps between spouses. In addition, it examines marital relations vis-à-vis a diverse array of sub-topics, including marital and emotional satisfaction, and violence. It also looks at the relationship between work and marriage, and explores how ‘women’s work’ affects their family relationships and intimacy. Finally, it offers a rich analysis of two core marriage-related issues in the modern Arab world: migration and its positive/negative impacts on the institution of marriage, and marriage in the context of war and conflict, as present in several areas within the Arab region. A sociological magnum opus for social science students and researchers in areas of marriage studies, gender studies, family studies, the sociology of work, peace and conflict studies, human migration, and economics, it is also relevant to policymakers, politicians, social workers, and human rights and migration activists working in the Arab world and beyond.