Marriage, A History by Stephanie Coontz
How Love Conquered Marriage
This book traces the changing forms and meanings of marriage across cultures and centuries, arguing that what many consider "traditional" marriage is actually a relatively recent development shaped by economic, political and cultural forces rather than timeless custom. It shows how arrangements based on property, social alliances, and extended family gradually gave way to marriages founded on romantic love and companionship as industrialization, urbanization, and feminist movements altered gender roles and expectations. By examining legal changes, courtship practices, and shifting ideals about intimacy and individual fulfillment, the work explains why marriage has repeatedly adapted to new social realities and why contemporary debates about its future reflect long-term historical patterns rather than a single natural model.
- Published
- 2005
- Nationality
- American
- Length
- Unknown
- Pages
- Unknown
- Original Language
- English
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