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Title: Mahr and the Diaspora: The Negotiation of Marriage Dowries and Gender Relations Amongst Pakistani Americans

Where & When:  October 30, 2007
                           100 Eggers Hall
                           12.30 pm

Type of Activity: Speaker

Speaking: Farha Ternikar, Sociology, LeMoyne College

Summary: Farha Ternikar’s presentation examines the Muslim concept of mahr in the South Asian diaspora. Based on in-depth interviews with Pakistani and Indian second-generation immigrant women in the U.S., Ternikar’s study explores the similarities of the practice of mahr to the tradition of dowry. In particular, she examines how this concept is practiced among American Pakistani and Indian immigrant women in the negotiation of their marriage contracts (Nikah). For some women mahr is seen as a pre-nuptial agreement and for others it has become a symbol of ethno-religious tradition; this variation is contingent on class, education and gender ideologies.

 Sponsorship: The South Asia Center

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