Events

CHAIRPERSON

Prof Jean Yeung, Asia Research Institute and Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore.

ABSTRACT

The process of migration and the nature of diasporic settlements crucially impact the practices and forms of the traditional institution of marriage. Marriage is one of the junctures when linkages are reestablished with the country of origin by many migrants. Yet the host culture also exudes much from which the migrant draws upon. How do these two apparently contradictory pulls affect marriage patterns? How do these affect women’s power and autonomy and how communities define or project their culture and traditions? What are the forces that make cultures work “traditionally” even as these undergo a process of restructuring in the wake of new economic and cultural forces? Drawing upon her earlier studies on dowry (1999) in India and its varied manifestations among the Indian diasporic communities in Canada (2008), the talk will attempt to delineate some of these aspects in the context of Indian diaspora in Singapore.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Ranjana Sheel is Associate Professor in the Department of History at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. She received her PhD in History from Banaras Hindu University, and BA (Hons) and MA in History from the University of Delhi. She specializes in the area of social history and women’s studies with a focus on India. Her book entitled Political Economy of Dowry (Manohar Publications, New Delhi, 1999), research papers on marriage and migration, and the ongoing studies of the “dancing girls” in India and Japan and the changing marriage patterns in Indian communities in Singapore are some of the outcomes of her research interests.

Ranjana Sheel is on a three-month appointment as a Visiting Senior Research Fellow in the Changing Family in Asia Cluster with effect from 15 May 2013.

REGISTRATION

Admission is free. We would greatly appreciate if you RSVP Mr Jonathan Lee via email: jonathan.lee@nus.edu.sg