Chapter 27 Further Reading: Culture, Religion, and Courtship Norms

Foundational Works

Henrich, J., Heine, S. J., & Norenzayan, A. (2010). The weirdest people in the world? Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 33(2–3), 61–83. The paper that named and documented the WEIRD bias in behavioral science. Essential reading for understanding the limitations of the research base in this entire textbook — and in social science more broadly. Somewhat technical but highly rewarding.

Coontz, S. (2005). Marriage, a History: From Obedience to Intimacy, or How Love Conquered Marriage. Viking. A sweeping historical account of how the "love match" ideal emerged and displaced earlier forms of marriage across Western history. Essential for understanding that the Western model is a historical development, not a natural state. Accessible and engaging.

Regional and Cultural Studies

Fincher, L. H. (2014). Leftover Women: The Resurgence of Gender Inequality in China. Zed Books. A detailed, critical account of the shengnu discourse and how Chinese media and government have used it to pressure highly educated women back into traditional marriage. Excellent on the intersection of gender politics and mate selection.

Rudrappa, S. (2018). Women working in India's marriage industry: Labor and emotional work in matrimonial websites. Gender, Work & Organization, 25(1), 58–73. An empirical study of how matrimonial websites in India function as labor — examining the workers who help curate profiles and negotiate family expectations. Provides concrete detail on how technology mediates South Asian courtship.

Rebick, M., & Takenaka, A. (Eds.). (2006). The Changing Japanese Family. Routledge. A collection of sociological essays on changing family and partnership patterns in Japan. More nuanced than popular accounts of the "marriage crisis."

Religious Courtship

Diefendorf, S. (2015). After the wedding night: Sexual abstinence and masculinities over the life course. Gender & Society, 29(5), 647–669. An empirical study of how evangelical Christian purity culture specifically shapes men's experience of sexuality and marriage. Counterintuitively focuses on men's experience, providing balance to work that primarily addresses women.

Bolz-Weber, N. (2019). Shameless: A Sexual Reformation. Convergent Books. A theologian's critique of purity culture from within a Christian framework. Not social science, but provides a substantive and theologically informed inside critique. Useful for discussion of inside vs. outside evaluations of religious courtship norms.

Diaspora Courtship

Inman, A. G., et al. (2011). The cultural adjustment and trauma experiences of immigrant South Asian women. Counseling Psychology, 39(3), 386–422. Research on the psychological complexity of navigating two cultural frameworks, with implications for understanding diaspora courtship challenges.

Gopinath, G. (2005). Impossible Desires: Queer Diasporas and South Asian Public Cultures. Duke University Press. A cultural studies account of queer South Asian diaspora experience — essential for understanding the intersection of LGBTQ+ identity and diaspora courtship challenges. More theoretical than empirical; best approached with some background in cultural studies.