ANTH/WMNS 326 Cross cultural families and households
27 January 2010 The Gender of Marriage Partners
Required readings: Sullivan, Maureen (1996) "Rozzie and Harriet?: Gender and Family Patterns of Lesbian Coparents." Gender and Society, 10(6): 747-767. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/190198
Epprecht, Marc (2006) ""Bisexuality" and the Politics of Normal in African Ethnography."Anthropologica. 48(2): 187-202. Proquest.http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1184989331&sid=4&Fmt=3&clientId=18854&RQT=309&VName=PQD
Sullivan:
- refers to context of US theme around "family values"
- what is involved in the idea of "family values"?
- e.g.
- why do some gays and lesbians reject the idea of marriage?
- what is Kath Weston’s concept of gay and lesbian families as "chosen"?
- what did Sullivan’s study involve?
- what do her findings suggest?
- why do the "Rozzie and Harriet" couples say they choose this division of labour?
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- why would income be so important in influencing marriage roles in this society?
Epprecht:
- why is it important, according to Epprecht, to study sexual practices in Africa?
- how does he go about trying to uncover what past African sexual practices were?
- note that he is trying to read information from a scanty record, much like, perhaps, you are doing with your papers on not marrying
- how was colonial European recording of sexual practices tied up in what was happening within Europe and with European domination in African colonies?
- what does Foucault argue about the invention of homosexuality?
- what is the evidence he uncovers about variation in African sexual practices?
- how does the colonial past affect current discussions of African sexuality?
Questions for discussion:
- to what extent is sex a part of marriage?
- to what extent is procreative sex a part of marriage?
- is a married couple (of any gender sample) the best place to rear children?
- what other options might work as well or better?
- what is the function of marriage in a society which separates procreation from marriage?
- e.g. in African mine marriages?
- e.g. in non-procreative gay and lesbian marriages in Canada?
- is a child rearing couple necessarily heteronormative?
Essay help:
- how to research not marrying
- what is an ethnographic source?
- what is an argument/thesis statement?
- how are essays organized?
Example: Turkey
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi_bin/fulltext/118515013/PDFSTART
http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/3773900.pdf