Same Sex Marriage (The Cultural Politics Of Love And Law)

Fierce and often ugly battles are being waged, especially in the United States, over who is allowed to marry, what marriage signifies and where marriage is headed. Kathleen Hull examines these debates, and data from interviews with over seventy people in same-sex relationships, to explore the cultural practices surrounding same-sex marriage and the legal battle for recognition. Arguing that the cultural and legal dimensions of marriage are closely intertwined, she shows how same-sex couples use marriage-related cultural practices, such as public commitment rituals, to assert the reality of their commitments despite lack of legal recognition. Though many same-sex couples see the law of the state to hold a unique cultural power to legitimate their relationships and identities, Hull finds that their opponents equally look to the law to re-establish a social normalcy that excludes same-sex relationships. This is a timely look at a contentious issue.
Kathleen E. Hull is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Minnesota.
"Same-Sex Marriage is a tremendous advance for understanding the connection between law and culture. Kathleen Hull artfully demonstrates the relationship between law and marriage with unique attention to how cultural understandings of romantic love permeate both. This book is a must-read for anyone eager to understand how same-sex couples construct relationships and commitment ceremonies."
Laura Beth Nielsen
Research Fellow, American Bar Foundation and Department of Sociology,Northwestern University
"An exceptionally well-crafted book that weaves together the sociological literatures on marriage, law, culture, and politics to illuminate the meaning of same-sex marriage. Drawing on in-depth interviews with same-sex couples, Hull provides a compelling argument for why some same-sex couples embrace marriage and others oppose not only legal marriage, but any public ritual of commitment."
Verta Taylor
Department of Sociology, University of California, Santa Barbara
Designed by Hart McLeod
Cover image: Protestors for and against g,ay marriage converge on Massachusetts statehouse, 29 March 2004. REUTERS/jim Bourg