Transnational arranged marriages and the lives of married women in the hindu-gujarati diaspora of Portugal

Abstract

The present study took place in the Greater Lisbon area, Portugal and used micro-ethnographic methods, to understand the practice of transnational arranged marriages among the Hindu-Gujarati diaspora. Eight married women between the ages of 32 to 52 years were interviewed to understand the experiences and perceptions of women who participate in such marriages. Furthermore, lives of married women within the diaspora were also analyzed using an intersectional structural approach, to comprehend their position within the larger power structures such as caste and gender. Additionally, strengths-based and agency favoring approaches along with migration theories on transnationalism were used to analyze how married women actively negotiated with their environments and countered challenges faced by them while living in Portugal. The study established that arranged marriages between transnational communities served the collectivist purpose of ensuring continuity and reproduction of their culture in while abroad. Traditional marriages among diasporas also entailed that certain power hierarchies from countries of origin sustained in the new geographic context. Although married women from the diaspora were disadvantaged in relation to their male counterparts when it came to certain aspects, they were never ‘passive’ beings within the migration process or while living abroad. Women not only challenged oppressive structures or practices but also occassionally occupied high positions in certain power structures (such as caste) and actively sought to ensure their maintenance in Portugal. The research value of this thesis lies in the fact that this is the first attempt to studying how arranged marriages take place within a transnational context in Portugal. Studying women within diasporas through the lens of strengths-based and agency-favoring approaches is also relatively new approach in social research. Lastly, the study concludes with making suggestions for social work practitioners and researchers who would want to study this group.