Arranged Marriage

                 Marriage as a means of preserving cultural and religious harmony or homogeny. The idea of  arranging a marital union between two people originted in Far Eastern cultures more than 7000 years ago as a means of ensuring cultural and religious harmony within families and communities. Typically, the arrangement would be made by parents or members of the community, such as religious leaders, who would negotiate a pairing along with any exchange of money or property to be made. Arranged marriage also emerged in the ancient world on the Indian subcontinent and in the Near East and at the similar time in African and South American cultures, demonstrating the pervasiveness of ideas such as homogeny and cultural conservatism throughout human history.

                   Although significantly more common in Eastern cultures, arranged marriages were also popular in Europe during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Families in the upper classes and nobility would often arrange a union between children deemed to be well suited in terms of both social and financial standing. Similarly, arranged marriages within royal circles have been the norm of centuries, often motivated by the political need to extend or consolidate power. This tradition continues in a contemporary context: the union between Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer in the United Kingdom in 1981 reportedly did not originate in unalloyed romantic attachment.

                 Arranged marriages are still common in countries such as India, Pakistan and Afganistan and global migration has led to its more recent emergence in places such as the United States. Technological advances have led to the creation of matchmaking websites for arranging marriages and there are now conferences where potential spouses and their families can network. Despite its ancient origins, arranged marriage continues to be relevant in a contemporary world.