Title: American marriage : a political institution /
Authors: Yamin, Priscilla.
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press,
Year: 2012
Subjects: Marriage Political aspects United States History.; Marriage law United States History.; United States Social policy.; United States Social policy.
Abstract: "As states across the country battle internally over same-sex marriage in the courts, in legislatures, and at the ballot box, activists and scholars grapple with its implications for the status of gays and lesbians and for the institution of marriage itself. Yet, the struggle over same-sex marriage is only the most recent political and public debate over marriage in the United States. What is at stake for those who want to restrict marriage and for those who seek to extend it? Why has the issue become such a national debate? These questions can be answered only by viewing marriage as a political institution as well as a religious and cultural one. In its political dimension, marriage circumscribes both the meaning and the concrete terms of citizenship. Marriage represents communal duty, moral education, and social and civic status. Yet, at the same time, it represents individual choice, contract, liberty, and independence from the state.^
Contents: Introduction: Marriage as a political institution. I Historical development. Chapter 1. The "duties as well as privileges of freedom" ; Chapter 2. "What constitutes a valid marriage?" -- II. The long culture wars. Chapter 3. "Marriage is one of the basic civil rights of man" ; Chapter 4. "Marriage is the foundation of a successful society" ; Chapter 5. "We're in a battle for the soul of the nation" -- Conclusion: "Is there hope for the American marriage?"