Abishai100
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- Sep 22, 2013
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Bride burning or bride-burning is a form of domestic violence practiced in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and other countries located on or around the Indian subcontinent (but not in Sri Lanka). A category of dowry death, bride-burning occurs when a young woman is murdered by her husband or his family for her family's refusal to pay additional dowry. The wife is typically doused with kerosene, gasoline, or other flammable liquid, and set alight, leading to death by fire. Kerosene is most often used as the fuel. It is most common in India and has been a major problem there since at least 1993 (source of information: Wikipedia).
In India, the caste system is a hegemony structure that favors the authority of male representatives who serve as priest, warriors, politicians, professionals, etc. The male heirs pass on the inclusion rights to a particular caste, and women are therefore valuated as bearers of fertilization-gauged socialization.
Women are considered resources rather than as citizens sometimes, which is why we get stories of Indian brides being burned for refusing to offer handsome dowry (marriage money) to the groom's family. Sometimes the groom's wrathful parents are completely responsible for the burnings, and sometimes, the grooms partake in the death ritual meant to 'enforce' the dowry culture.
An Indian boy might tell you that growing up he enjoyed reading comic book characters who represented progressive values (e.g., Captain America, Tin-Tin, etc.) to mentally and emotionally 'escape' the gloomy reality of an overbearing caste system alerting them to the problems of their sisters being burned as dowry-death symbols or them having to 'assimilate' themselves into an undesirable caste philosophy.
However, childhood fears and daydreams do not translate to civics, and we do not find convenient links between culturally imprinted social rituals and media norms, making it even awkward to talk about dowry-related bride burnings in the mainstream news. Nevertheless, women's rights groups from around the world have drawn the public's attention to this terrible problem.
Paying a marriage money to the groom's family ensures the groom's side that the bride being taken in will not be a spiritual or financial burden, which is mentally comforting to people struggling with problems such as unemployment and poverty in over-populated places such as India where dowry deaths are a pronounced issue.
How can Western canons of law be 'imported' into Eastern embassies so as to foster more progressive dialogue about dangerous cultural practices/rituals such as bride-burning, caste extortion, female mutilation, and cannibalism?
Dowry Deaths (LA Times)
In India, the caste system is a hegemony structure that favors the authority of male representatives who serve as priest, warriors, politicians, professionals, etc. The male heirs pass on the inclusion rights to a particular caste, and women are therefore valuated as bearers of fertilization-gauged socialization.
Women are considered resources rather than as citizens sometimes, which is why we get stories of Indian brides being burned for refusing to offer handsome dowry (marriage money) to the groom's family. Sometimes the groom's wrathful parents are completely responsible for the burnings, and sometimes, the grooms partake in the death ritual meant to 'enforce' the dowry culture.
An Indian boy might tell you that growing up he enjoyed reading comic book characters who represented progressive values (e.g., Captain America, Tin-Tin, etc.) to mentally and emotionally 'escape' the gloomy reality of an overbearing caste system alerting them to the problems of their sisters being burned as dowry-death symbols or them having to 'assimilate' themselves into an undesirable caste philosophy.
However, childhood fears and daydreams do not translate to civics, and we do not find convenient links between culturally imprinted social rituals and media norms, making it even awkward to talk about dowry-related bride burnings in the mainstream news. Nevertheless, women's rights groups from around the world have drawn the public's attention to this terrible problem.
Paying a marriage money to the groom's family ensures the groom's side that the bride being taken in will not be a spiritual or financial burden, which is mentally comforting to people struggling with problems such as unemployment and poverty in over-populated places such as India where dowry deaths are a pronounced issue.
How can Western canons of law be 'imported' into Eastern embassies so as to foster more progressive dialogue about dangerous cultural practices/rituals such as bride-burning, caste extortion, female mutilation, and cannibalism?
Dowry Deaths (LA Times)
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