Indian Dowry: Marriage, Fire and Death

1312 Words3 Pages

Statement

Bride burning is becoming popular in parts of India and could be considered a ritual amongst the culture. I will discuss bride burning as a ritual and bring to light the meaning of dowry in India as well as the marriage process.

Research focus

Although dowry has been the cultural norm in India, recently, it has become a violent act. Bride burning is now seen as a ritual and is becoming more and more popular amongst the culture. My goal is to inform the public about Indian expectations in marriage.

1. If families do not have dowry to give, why do they force their daughters to get married?

2. Why has bride burning become so popular?

3. What traditions are consistent in bride burning?

Purpose

My research will inform readers of the cultural differences between western culture and Indian culture. As I was deciding which topic to write about, I came across bride burning in India as a potential topic. As I read more into it, I was in shock and could not believe this was happening to women. I feel as though not enough people know of this ritual and I would like to inform more people about it.

Plan

I will conduct my research using a newspaper article outlining the increase in bride burning. I will also use multiple academic journals that discusses dowry and marriage that I found on Anthro source. Our Bodley textbook also gave footnotes to a scholarly journal which I will also use to back up my proposal. I went on google to find anything written about the topic, I then used our Ithaca Library database and through Anthro source, I found various journals and scholarly articles on my topic. I will be taking the approach of MLA citation instead of the anthropological way of APA as I am more familiar with MLA....

... middle of paper ...

... marriage and the truth about dowry.

Bibliography

1. Delhi, Rahul. "Indian dowry deaths on the rise.” The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.

2. Bodley, John H.. "Chapter 9: Hinduism and Islam in South Asia." Cultural Anthropology: Tribes, states, and the global system. 5. Ed. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2011. 325-326. Print.

3. Parameswaran, Radhika. "Coverage of "Bride Burning" in the "Dallas Observer": A Cultural Analysis of the “Other.” “Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies 16.2/3 (1996): 69. Ithaca College Library. Web. 13 Apr. 2014.

4. Stone, Linda, and Caroline James. "Dowry, Bride-burning, And Female Power In India." Womenʼs Studies International Forum 18.2 (1995): 125-134. http://rmitchellculturalanthro.weebly.com/uploads/2/3/7/6/23767919/dowryreading.pdf. Web. 8 Apr. 2014.

More about Indian Dowry: Marriage, Fire and Death

Open Document