Description:
Learning to Love explores the everyday marriage narratives of the British-Indian diaspora. It unpacks the phenomenon of arranged marriages beyond its pejorative stereotypes by highlighting the diversity of interpersonal and emotional negotiations involved in their practice. Using in-depth ethnographic description, the book shows that far from being a homogeneous tradition, arranged marriages involve a variety of different matchmaking practices modified to suit modern diasporic identities.
Review Quotes: "Amidst rising anti-immigrant sentiment, Learning to Love is a welcome intervention into entrenched, nationalist discourses of 'arranged marriage' that present it as anachronistic and utterly different from love marriage. Pande highlights the hopes and strategies of British-Indians, young and old, who talk of 'rishta, ' matchmaking, intergenerational negotiation, modernity, and falling in love with the right person. A breath of fresh air!"--Meena Khandelwal "author of Women in Ochre Robes"