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Intricate Marital Partnerships: Elopement and Concubinage Among the Kuria in North-Eastern Tanzania

Tanzania Journal for Population studies and Development

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Title Intricate Marital Partnerships: Elopement and Concubinage Among the Kuria in North-Eastern Tanzania
 
Creator Mhando, Nandera Ernest; University of Dar es Salaam
 
Description Using participant observation and in-depth interview data in semi-urban and ruralNorth-eastern Tanzania, this article demonstrates that the freedom to marry ischaracterized by restrictive rules. It specifically highlights that agencies are used byindividuals to enforce marital relationships through elopement and concubinageunions, practices that are incompatible with Kuria’s widely valued expectations. Suitorscontinue to be constrained by wider society expectations despite social and economicchanges that reduce parents’ authority and decline the significance of bridewealthcattle. Changes are happening as Kuria marriage values are enacted and renegotiated byindividuals opting for different and even divergent meanings amid social and economictransformations. These options lead to pestering, having lower status, isolation incertain rituals, moving far away from family, ending unions, lacking certaincustomary rights, delaying to enter into marriage, and escaping marital violenceand forced marriages. Therefore, this article explores the dimensions of marriage,both at intra- and extra-familial realms. Keywords: elopement, concubinage, marriage, participant observation, Kuria, Tanzania. 
 
Publisher Tanzania Journal for Population studies and Development
 
Contributor —
 
Date 2019-05-24
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
Peer-reviewed Article
 
Identifier https://journals.udsm.ac.tz/index.php/tjpsd/article/view/2619
 
Source Tanzania Journal for Population studies and Development; Vol 23, No 1&2 (2016): TJPSD
 
Language en
 
Rights Copyright (c) 2019 Tanzania Journal for Population studies and Development