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What strategies are used to legitimize and enhance the popularity of the Reform marriage ceremony among Israeli Jews? Using a mixed-method grounded-theory technique, this study stresses that the strategies used to legitimize and enhance the popularity of the Reform marriage ceremony among Israeli Jews take place in two parallel realms: the organizational and the individual. At the organizational level, the Israel Reform Movement invests resources into institutionalizing the Reform marriage ceremony in Israel, using the judicial and the political strata to accomplish this goal. At the same time, at the individual level, Reform rabbis operate as street-level policy entrepreneurs by enhancing the visibility of the Reform marriage ceremony among Israeli Jews by advertising themselves and conducting as many ceremonies as possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the moral sensibilities and capacities of undocumented Filipino immigrants within the context of the so-called "marriage pathway"—a route for regularization through marriage to a U.S. citizen. Advocating for the inclusion of the moral dimension in examinations of the social lives of undocumented immigrants, it explores how the Filipino immigrants' lay moralities factor in their evaluations and decision-making regarding marriage and legalization, shedding light on their moral responses to consider or reject notions of marriage based on instrumental grounds. It argues further that the immigrants' moral sentiments, empathy and fellow-feeling, enduring commitments to moral norms, and dispositions of care help overcome their status concerns and imbue their actions with moral force and legitimacy amidst social pressures to enter marriage with a view for regularization. Finally, it makes a case for the moral potency of moral communities as a source of meaning that immigrants respond to and identify with, suggesting that evaluations of immigrants' marital motivations must also consider the quality and intensity of the ties within their networks of moral support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the voting practices of Filipina marriage migrants in South Korea. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 66 women, we examine marriage migrant women's voting through the lens of cultural and performative citizenship. We focus on the gendered and ethnicized integration of marriage migrants into Korean families and in the larger society and how their marginalised social position shapes the women's voting practices. We identified three voting patterns – dependent, independent, and transitioned – that vary in their degrees of cultural and performative citizenship. We also unpack the characteristics or factors associated with each voting pattern that facilitated marriage migrants' ability to engage in performative citizenship; that is, to contest their marginalised status and exercise greater autonomy in their candidate choices. Our findings illustrate how viewing immigrant voting through the perspectives of cultural and performative citizenship provides nuanced insights about the meaning and practice of voting beyond its intrinsic function of political representation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the issues of the legal doctrine of undue influence in predatory marriage. Topics include the ruling of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in the case O'Rourke v. Hunter, the dividing line between love and financial predation, and the importance of marriage as cited by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case Obergefell v. Hodges.

This research asks one simple question, a question many studies on the arranged marriage omit to ask, namely "What exactly is the arranged marriage?" Author Naema Tahir, born and bred in the arranged marriage culture, but educated in the free-choice marriage culture, argues that much literature on the arranged marriage fails to offer full exploration of this traditional marital system. Instead, the arranged marriage is often analysed through the lens of the modern free choice marriage system. However, this is not a neutral lens. It considers the free choice marriage to be the ideal. As a result, the arranged marriage is perceived to be a "marriage of shortcomings", one that fails to meet the standards of the free-choice marriage system. The author encourages readers to break this frame and offers a neutral perspective on this traditional marital system practised by billions around the world. Readers are invited to an in-depth and rigorous analysis of the foundations upon which the arranged marriage system rests. While this analysis zooms in on the case study of one particular focus group, the British Pakistani diaspora, it reveals broad insights into the arranged marriage system in general. This analysis highlights and critically examines social principles fundamental to the arranged marriage system and which are much misunderstood, such as hierarchy, patriarchy, collectivism, group loyalty and the role of parental and individual marital consent. The author argues that it is vital to first understand the traditional structures of the arranged marriage, before one can understand modernizing tendencies the arranged marriage system is currently undergoing. As such, this study hugely contributes to an unbiased understanding of the arranged marriage and changing arranged marriage patterns and is a valuable reading for those interested in marriage, marital systems and the future thereof. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The right to free movement, together with other rights established by Art. 20 par. (2) TEU "shall be exercised under the conditions and limits defined by the Treaties and by the measures adopted to implement them". Art. 35 of Directive 2004/38 provides that "Member States may take the necessary measures to refuse, cancel or withdraw any right conferred by a directive in the event of abuse of rights or fraud, such as marriages of convenience". In other words, "in order to protect themselves against the abuse of rights or fraud and, in particular, against the marriages of convenience or other forms of union contracted exclusively for the purpose of enjoying the freedom of movement and residence, Member States have the possibility to adopt the necessary measures". The marriages of convenience are typical examples of abuse; information from Member States on this type of marriage shows that this phenomenon exists but its magnitude varies from one Member State to another. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ius et Praxis (07172877) is the property of Universidad de Talca and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The 2017 Punjab Legislative Assembly election results assertively demonstrate that Punjab is its own political stage. Just like the 2014 general elections, it bucked Modi's Wave that led to the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) spectacular win in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. For the first time in 2017, the state saw a triangular contest among the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and BJP alliance, the Indian National Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The electorate seeking a change stayed with the traditional alternative of the Congress led by Amarinder Singh which won 77 out of 117 seats. AAP gained momentum in the run-up to the elections but ended up with mere 20 seats, finishing a poor second. The governing Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance was decimated, winning only 18 seats, SAD with 15 seats and BJP just 3, finishing a disastrous third. In defeat, both the alliance partners were up in arms accusing each other of their dismal performance. In that sense, the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party coalitions can be termed the most unholy alliances - marriages of convenience. This paper provides a historical analysis of past coalitions as well as on the recent government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tension between the right to family reunification as laid down in European Directives and Member States' concern to protect their sovereignty in regulating migration has resulted in growing attention to and concern about fraudulent family relationships (especially marriages of convenience). This contribution addresses the question of what forms of control are permissible from a European law perspective and whether national practices are in conformity with European law and fundamental rights. Looking at these national practices several problems are identified: definitions of 'marriages of convenience' extending beyond what European law allows; systematic checks of certain nationalities/ethnic groups, mixed couples and/or gender may amount to discrimination and the burden of proof seems to be shifting to couples. Comparing control practices for marriages of convenience with those of homosexual asylum seekers, it is argued that human dignity is at stake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of marriage squeeze expects a positive association between marriage formation and the availability of preferred mates. Previous research to test the hypothesis has had mixed results owing to inconsistent marriage measures, inconsistent age focuses and insufficient attention to migration. This study derives kinetics equations of marriage formation to link cohort age-specific mate availability to migration-adjusted marriage rate/incidence, a measure in contrast to nominal marriage rate. On testing the equations with Japanese census data for 1920-1940, it is found that, in female cohorts, mate availability impacts first marriage rate at the life-course stage from 15-19 to 20-24 years, but not at later stages. Among young females, the decline in mate availability accounted for about 21% of the decline in first marriage rate over the period 1920-1940, when there was a trend towards later but not less marriage in Japan. The study suggests that the flexibility of mate/spouse choice in females varies along the marriageable life course and is more manifest at older ages. At young ages, however, the marriage squeeze hypothesis could hold, presumably because young women are evolutionarily shaped to be choosier, perhaps postponing their marriages when preferred mates are in short supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the opposition against out-group mating and the attitude towards parental influence on mate choice among 107 Dutch, 69 Moroccan, and 69 Turkish participants aged between 15 and 25. The level of preferred parental influence on mate choice was considerably higher among the Turks and Moroccans than among the Dutch, but females in both ethnic groups were less in favor of parental influence on mate choice than males were. Overall, males showed a higher opposition against interethnic dating than females did, and the Turks showed a higher level of opposition to interethnic mating than both the Moroccans and the Dutch. In addition, the effect of opposition against interethnic mating on preferred parental influence on mate choice was especially pronounced among the Turks, somewhat less so among the Moroccans, and least strong among the Dutch. Especially young males with a Turkish and Moroccan background seem to hold on to the values of the cultures they come from, and particularly Turkish immigrants seem keen on keeping the cohesion of their ethnic group intact by opposing interethnic dating, and by favoring parental influence on mate choice as a way to achieve this goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal of Canadian Studies is the property of University of Toronto Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Transnational marriages of migrants in Western Europe tend to be seen as hampering integration. In response, policies have been tightened, despite little knowledge on transnational marriages and the effects of such measures. This paper investigates the role of individual preferences and contextual factors such as family reunification policies, group size and development levels of the regions of origin in partner choice of the children of Turkish and Moroccan immigrants. We draw on a novel dataset collected in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden. Our findings suggest that transnational marriages are partly associated with contextual factors such as a rural origin and family reunification policies. The analysis indicates higher rates of transnational marriages under open family reunification policies, providing tentative evidence of policy effects. On the individual level, the choice of a partner from the parents' origin country is associated with religiosity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cet article examine l'existence d'un paradoxe de facilitation/contrôle dans le cadre des efforts gouvernementaux de contrôler la migration des époux. La littérature sur le jugement discrétionnaire et les fonctionnaires de proximité est utilisée pour analyser comment les agents canadiens des visas décident quelles relations de couples sont 'vraies' ou 'fausses'. Cet article démontre que les agents des visas utilisent plusieurs cadres de référence pour construire des modèles types de ce que sont les relations 'normales' entre époux. Ces modèles types permettent aux agents des visas de construire des cas comme crédibles ou non crédibles, et ce processus établit les bases des décisions concernant l'exclusion et l'inclusion d'immigrants. This paper questions whether there is a facilitation/enforcement paradox associated with state efforts to control spousal migration. The literature on discretion and street-level bureaucrats is used to analyze how Canadian visa officers make decisions about which spousal relationships are 'real' and which are 'fake.' The paper shows that visa officers use various cultural frameworks to construct typifications of 'normal' relationships. These typifications allow visa officers to construct cases as credible or not credible, and constitute simultaneous bases for decisions about immigrant exclusion and inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author reflects on the problem of sham marriages or fake marriage contracted for the sole purpose of obtaining legal status by the immigrants in the U.S. Topics discussed include the history of sham marriages in the U.S, congressional attempts to limit sham marriages and to improve the immigration system along with the implementation of the Immigration and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) and the Marriage Fraud Amendments of 1986 (IMFA).

Taking the example of marriages of convenience, the article argues that immigration law reproduces conservative marriage norms. We show that the administrative practices evolving around the assessment of binational marriages that are suspected of aiming at obtaining a residence permit for one of the spouses in fact establish a purpose of marriage which is not covered by legislation. These practices not only are a significant invasion of privacy for the suspected couples, but furthermore are informed by gendered and racialized conceptions of "proper" marriages which are incorporated in influential discourses of migration, family and the nation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article I deal with the political and cultural dilemma of the distinction between arranged and forced or imposed marriages. After a review of the literature, interviews collected in 2009 in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna are used to illustrate the views of the participants to the research. With the help of the theoretical tool of cultural materialism, I argue that the question can be approached from two different points of view: on the one hand, the distinction is clear as it is based on the recognition (even a late one) of an imposition by physical or psychological violence on the part of the subject; on the other hand sociological analysis of the process of construction and of expression of consent reveals a vast gray area that is object of debate in the scientific literature as well as in everyday life. Only the first definition of forced marriage, the subjective one, can justify the start of a concrete intervention by the public authorities - but this cannot stop the debate on the actual value of the consent given in many cases of marriages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marriages of convenience have become a central concern in political debates about immigration policy. According to Norwegian regulations, the right to marriage migration only applies to ‘real’ relationships. The notion of a real or genuine marriage, as opposed to a marriage of convenience, raises the question of what characterises a legitimate intimate relationship. Based on interviews with the parties involved, this article investigates how marriage migrants and their partners perceive the application process for marriage migration to Norway, and how they are affected by the idea of marriages of convenience. It argues that the scholarly literature on contemporary intimate relationships is relevant to studies of migration and provides important insights into the narratives of marriage migrants and their partners. On the one hand, ‘the pure relationship’ seems to be one standard against which cross-border marriages are sometimes judged. On the other hand, the ideal of the pure relationship is also used by marriage migrants and their partners to question immigration regulations. The pure relationship is one, but far from the only, normative ideal present in the narratives of my interviewees. Interviewees draw on several different, and sometimes contradictory, norms, ideals and narratives of intimacy when they talk about and justify their own relationships, after being confronted with the immigration regulation's requirement for a ‘real marriage’. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background The recent diesel scandal has again highlighted the impact that the transport sector can have on public health. Aim To describe the current impact of transport planning on public health. Result Transport is fundamental to our cities' economic and social development, but causes large health effects and impact through accidents, air pollution, noise, green space and lack of physical activity. Conclusion There is an urgent need to rebalance and provide better and safer infrastructures and policy support for transport, and particularly, active transport modes, building a new culture for it. A parallel transition in transport and urban planning is needed to improve, in a global and structural way, the relations between urban mobility and health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Los "matrimonios de conveniencia son una realidad creciente en la práctica española y europea. Las respuestas legales se articulan sobre tres dimensiones o escenarios: el de los derechos humanos, el del Derecho privado y el del Derecho de extranjería. El segundo se configura como un instrumento del tercero, mientras que el primero (los derechos humanos) ocupan una mera posición decorativa en el discurso jurídico. En la práctica española el matrimonio se considera simulado cuando los consentimientos no superan el test de la equivalencia con el consentimiento del modelo español. Otro tanto ocurre con las autorizaciones para contraer matrimonio en España o con la expedición de un certificado de capacidad matrimonial para celebrarlo en el extranjero. A pesar de que nos encontramos analizando "matrimonios internacionales", lo cierto es que en la práctica el modelo que se tutela o protege es el propio de cada autoridad. Este hecho convierte en casi irrelevante la polémica existente en España en términos de aplicación eventual del Derecho extranjero. The marriages of convenience are an increasing reality in Spanish and European legal practice. The answer of the legal system covers three different dimensions: the human rights, the private law and foreigners law. The second is intended to be an instrument of the third, as the first only plays a merely decorative role. In Spain, the formalized marriage is considered a simulation when the consents do not go through the test for Spanish marriage equivalence. It is the same with the authorizations to perform the marriage in Spain or the delivery of a marriage capacity certificate to perform the marriage abroad. In spite of finding ourselves before international marriages, it is the model of each country the one that is protected by their authorities. This fact lays out of the problem a hard discussion in terms of applicable foreign law, which becomes almost irrelevant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]