Unhappy Husbands: Masculinity and Migration in Transnational Pakistani Marriages

Abstract

General rightsThis document is made available in accordance with publisher policies. Please cite only the published version using the reference above. Full terms of use are available: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/pure/about/ebr-terms Rule' required spouses to prove that immigration was not their principal motivation for entering into the marriage, with male marriage migrants under

Rishtas: adding emotion to strategy in understanding British Pakistani transnational marriages

“…For transnationally divided families, one of these assets may be the British citizenship of unmarried men or women, because marriage (Fischer and Lyon 2000:305). Brothers' shared socio-economic interests may explain the slightly higher number of marriages between father's brother's children (Shaw 2001), and women's desires to share the benefits of migration with kin in Pakistan may be also important in explaining the pattern of marriage choice (Charsley 2003). Here, we note siblings' desire to strengthen affective ties weakened by migration as an additional motivation for transnational marriage.…”

“…The starting point of our argument is our informants' concept of rishta, which means 'match', 'proposal' or 'connection': both notions of strategic advantage and the emotional elements of marrying where connections already exist are part and parcel of the concept of the rishta (Charsley 2003). In Pakistan, marriage within the extended family or birādarī (other than with a relative prohibited as a spouse by Islamic marriage rules) is culturally preferred but not prescribed (see e.g.…”

“…Our case material reflects this diversity, being drawn from fieldwork conducted in different UK localities: in Bristol among mainly but not exclusively urban-origin Panjabis (Charsley 2003) and in Oxford, Leeds and High Wycombe among mainly but not exclusively rural origin Panjabis and Mirpuris (Shaw 2001a and2003). In combining material from different fieldwork locations, we offer an analysis that challenges stereotypes and is not restricted in its explanatory power by social class or regional origins but reflects the diversity to be found within Britain's Pakistani population.…”

“…Transnational marriage introduces a new range of social and emotional risks for those involved. It separates young people from their natal families (Charsley 2005), and it exposes British Pakistani women to the dangers of becoming 'immigration widows' whose husbands have been refused entry visas (Menski 2002) or of being abandoned by men whose commitment to the marriage extended no further than gaining entry to Britain and acquiring British citizenship (Werbner 2002). 1 Marriages arranged within the family are viewed as a means of protecting one's children against these potential harms.…”

Gender, Generations and the Family in International Migration

“…A shortcoming of migration research is that it has mainly focused on the role of women within the family, thus neglecting the investigation of relations between family members (Charsley 2005;George 2005;Passerini 2004;Ryan & Webster 2008). For instance, the evolution of norms regarding fatherhood, motherhood and parenting during the mi gration process should be questioned.…”