My interest in families goes back to my own experiences
growing up, and recognizing the difference between my family and the families
of my friends. I come from a Mexican- American family and the values and
beliefs I was raised to accept are quite different from the values and beliefs
of my friends’ traditional American families. The role a family plays in an
individual’s life varies among different cultures.
My main focus of study is on the similarities and
differences of the roles families play in marriages between different cultures.
The value of marriage has different meanings between cultures and the way families
participate in an individual’s marriage and their input on the partner the individual
is marrying may differ as well.
I will be researching two different cultures— traditional
Indian culture and traditional Mexican culture. From what I have researched, I
know that family plays a major role in Indian marriages, especially with the
practice of arranged marriages. Typically, an individual’s family chooses a
partner for the individual to marry and commit to. I am very interested in the
roles Indian families play in an individual’s marriage because they are different
from the marriages I was raised knowing. As a Mexican-American, I have
primarily observed Mexican- American weddings and marriages and traditional
American weddings and marriages. Being able to understand the practice of
arranged marriage and other Indian marital practices is fascinating. I am also interested
in the role families play in traditional Mexican marriages. The stories my
grandparents told me about traditional Mexican marriages had key focuses on
family input. Traditionally, a couple getting married is sponsored financially by
their padrinos, or in English,
Godparents. Families also play a role in the approval of marriage and take into
consideration the partner’s family and values. I am looking forward to
understand more on how Mexican families participate in an individual’s marriage
and their contribution to an individual’s wedding. From what I am beginning to understand,
both cultures consider family input in marriages as a key component in their
cultural values.
Gathering information on these cultures will come from
interviews of people who have experienced these marriages firsthand and also my
observations on these cultures’ marriages and family input. I am excited to see
what is in store for my research and my findings on traditional Indian and
Mexican cultures.
Cool! Your topic sounds really interesting and exciting. My family is bits and pieces of everything from Jewish, to Catholic, to Atheist and I have seen all kinds of different wedding styles and marriages. I also work with many families and have seen many different styles of marriage and child rearing. I look forward to your comparison of Indian style wedding and marriage and a Mexican style wedding and marriage. I think that in every culture the family always has a lot to say about who an individual marries and decides to start a life with. That is just the way families are. But I think that the end result should always be what makes the individual happy. I am sure your research will be of great interest and I look forward to reading about your findings, as well as your third blog when you do field work. I’ll bet your interviews will be really cool! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI will be interested to read more about your topic! Difference in marriage between cultures is something I haven’t even thought about but there definitely are distinct traditions and expectations varying with culture. I am interested to know if certain cultures report happier marriages than others. If there are, I wonder what it is about their culture that produces happier couples. It would also be interesting to know what attitudes or ideas about marriage are agreed upon throughout most cultures. I hope that you can uncover more in depth into the actual marriage of couples in these cultures rather than just the traditions. Can’t wait to read more!
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