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Instructors: Prof. Eva Illouz; Dr. phil. Esther Schomacher
Event type:
Seminar
Org-unit: Communication & Cultural Management
Displayed in timetable as:
VSCCM_II
Hours per week:
3
Credits:
9,0
Note: In your exam regulations, differing credits may have been specified.
Location:
Campus der Zeppelin Universität
Language of instruction:
Englisch
Min. | Max. participants:
8 | 24
Priority scheme: Standard-Priorisierung
Course content:
In this seminar, taught in collaboration by Prof. Dr. Eva Illouz and Dr. Esther Schomacher, we will investigate historical and contemporary forms of “marriage markets” and other forms of codified match making as specific cultural phenomena that are characterized by an intense collision of love and economics: Here, feeling and finance intermingle and – more often than not – form a rather explosive mix.
Marriage Markets and other forms of match making have been a constant in European cultural history. Their history envelopes ancient householding treatises that elaborate on the art of choosing the proper wife, medieval and early modern marriage diplomacy, marriage advertisements in 19th century newspapers, and todays dating apps.
Just as pervasive and just as culturally varied as the phenomenon of the 'marriage market' is the observation that people have recognized the importance of balancing emotional and economic aspects of prospective relationships and to negotiate the potential for contradiction and conflict resulting from their combination, in particular while looking for and deciding on a partner (no matter if for life or only for a certain period of time). At the same time “marriage markets” are (and have been) recognized as proper "markets", and hence as subject to economic principles.
Against the backdrop of these observations the seminar will look at different forms of marriage markets and match making through history as a prism that allow us to understand how historically and culturally changing concepts of love on the one hand, and economic behaviour on the other, relate to each other – and how their potential for conflicts and clashes is negotiated in different historical periods. We will look at historical and contemporary source material as well as literary and cinematic representations and analyse them by drawing on discourse historical appoaches, and sociological as well as economic conceptualisations of the relationship between love and economics, thereby aiming at an interdisciplinary approach which combines cultural historical, sociological and economic analysis.
A detailed syllabus will be available by the end of June, and all reading material will be provided through ILIAS.
The class will be taught in English.
Educational objective:
Students will develop an historical understanding of concepts of emotion (esp. love) as well as economic concepts and theories and their interrelations.
On a methodological and theoretical level, Students will work with discourse analytical and historical methods regarding various source materials; they will gain insight in sociological approaches, and experience interdisciplinary work and discussion first hand.
Further information about the exams:
Midterm: 30%, Endterm: 70%
Mandatory literature:
Further suggested reading:
Beck, Ulrich / Elisabeth Beck-Gernsheim: Fernliebe. Lebensformen im globalen Zeitalter. Berlin 2011.
Chiappori, Pierre-André: Matching with Transfers. The Economics of Love and Marriage. Princeton / Oxford: Princeton University Press 2017.
Collins, Randall: Sociology of Marriage and the Family. Gender, Love and Property. Chicago: Nelson Hall 1985.
Coontz, Stephanie: Marriage, a History. From Obedience to Intimacy or How Love Conquered Marriage. London 2005.
Dombrowski, Julia: Die Suche nach der Liebe im Netz. Bielefeld: transcript 2011.
Grossbard, Shoshana A.: Marriage and the Economy. Theory and Evidence from Advanced Industrial Societies. Cambridge 2009.
Kaplan, Marion: The Marriage Bargain. Women and Dowries in European History New York 1985.
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