Relational Costs of the "White Gown"

By Florence Maillochon
English

Current diversity of wedding ceremonies seems to attest to the recognition of the "couple" as an entity in its own right, largely independent of family constraints. An in-depth study of the rituals of twelve "white weddings", in terms of tradition and modernity, and an analysis of exhaustive guest lists enables the author to qualify the individualistic hypothesis of growing autonomy of the couple in a context in which marriage is increasingly important. Although couples are more and more autonomous, that autonomy is shaped within other relationships, including family relationships, linked to more general mechanisms of social stratification.

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