Same-Sex Marriage: The Cultural Politics of Love and Law
Cambridge University Press, 2/16/2006
EAN 9780521672511, ISBN10: 0521672511
Paperback, 296 pages, 22.9 x 15.2 x 1.7 cm
Language: English
Fierce and often ugly battles are being waged, especially in the United States, over who is allowed to marry, what marriage signifies, and where marriage is headed. Kathleen Hull examines these debates, and data from interviews with over seventy people in same-sex relationships, to explore the cultural practices surrounding same-sex marriage and the legal battle for recognition. Arguing that the cultural and legal dimensions of marriage are closely intertwined, she shows how same-sex couples use marriage-related cultural practices, such as public commitment rituals, to assert the reality of their commitments despite lack of legal recognition. Though many same-sex couples see the law of the state to hold a unique cultural power to legitimate their relationships and identities, Hull finds that their opponents equally look to the law to re-establish a social normalcy that excludes same-sex relationships. This is a timely look at a contentious issue.
List of tables
Preface
Same-sex marriage timeline
1. Marriage, culture and law
2. Doing the rite thing
cultural practices of commitment
3. How do I love thee? Questioning the marriage model
4. Making it legal
marriage, law and legality
5. Sin or civil right? Debating marriage in the states
6. Conclusion
marriage and beyond
Epilogue
Appendices
Notes
Court cases
References
Index.