History of Marriage Systems

Readers seeking a historical and cross-cultural treatment of marriage and the family will not be disappointed by this book. A readable and comprehensive account of marriage, rich in colorful social history, Quale's work excels in the comparison of lines of development among the foremost cultures of the world. Particularly impressive in this regard is her treatment of the Eastern civilizations and how these differed from what demographic historians have come to call the `West European pattern' of marriage....Although written as a history, this book should be of interest to students of the family in the social sciences. While it is not a path-breaking work in the sense of providing significant novel conceptual or theoretical insights, it skillfully incorporates theoretical and empirical contributions from a multitude of disciplines. It devotes considerable attention to contemporary trends and consistently relates the institution of the family to the overall socioeconomic, political, and demographic contingencies within society....Quale has written an important book that contains a wealth of useful informaton and deserves serious consideration for use in graduate and undergraduate instruction. Journal of Marriage and the FamilyThis is the first general worldwide history of marriage systems. Though it is comprehensive, it also uses contemporary American trends to illustrate broader tendencies in significant and sometimes dramatic ways. After going back to the earliest generations of human life to seek the roots of why and how human beings came to marry, it explores the various points in family life at which marriages are made, dissolved, and remade. It treats marriage systems as a basis for understanding how not only families, but whole societies operate. The functioning of a marriage system is perceived to be fully related to the overall economic and political situation within which families and individuals must make their way. The overall situation is looked at in a historical context, reflecting a condition of constant change. Quale traces the gradual modifications in patterns through the rise of agriculture and herding into commercial-urban societies and on to contemporary industrial-commercial life, comparing lines of development in the major regions of the world.

?The purpose of this cross-cultural history is two-fold: first, it seeks the roots of why and how human beings come to marry' by looking at pair-bonding among primates and hypothesizing from it to our hominid ancestors. Second, it is primarily meant to be a general history of overall trends rather than a detailed compendium of current data.' As such, it ranges broadly, acquainting the reader with the intricacies of marriage patterns among such diverse groups as huntergatherers, pastoral herders, agriculturalists, commercializing and urbanizing societies, and industrialized societies. In addition to its obvious value to anthropologists and historians, this a marvelous resource for anyone working with gender issues. Recommended for all college libraries.?-Religious Studies Review, ?This book represents an exceptionally ambitious undertaking, based on wide reading conveyed both in the text and in a useful bibliography. . . . The book achieves its primary purpose as a reference work, and judicious use of the index allows fascinating cross-cultural exploration of topics such as bride price or inheritance systems. . . . may advance a much-needed process of bringing advances in the social history of the family into an appropriate global focus.?-American Historical Review, ?This interesting monograph, number 13 in the Greenwood Press Contributions in Families Studies series, traces the development of marriage institutions from prehistoric times to the present. It is not so much a history as a sociological survey in an historical context. It sees marriage as more than an alliance between two individuals. Marriage is also a fundamental mechanism regulating the relationships among families; and between families and individuals on one hand, and society at large on the other. This is not a new idea. But Quale's organization and presentaion of data and concepts makes her book a useful one-volume introduction to a subject which is usually treated only in scholarly journals and thus nearly inaccessible to anyone but specialists. Her bibliography is extensive. . . . The many tables in the back of the book are useful and informative, and the index is unusually complete.?-American Library Book Review, "The purpose of this cross-cultural history is two-fold: first, it seeks the roots of why and how human beings come to marry' by looking at pair-bonding among primates and hypothesizing from it to our hominid ancestors. Second, it is primarily meant to be a general history of overall trends rather than a detailed compendium of current data.' As such, it ranges broadly, acquainting the reader with the intricacies of marriage patterns among such diverse groups as huntergatherers, pastoral herders, agriculturalists, commercializing and urbanizing societies, and industrialized societies. In addition to its obvious value to anthropologists and historians, this a marvelous resource for anyone working with gender issues. Recommended for all college libraries."-Religious Studies Review, "This book represents an exceptionally ambitious undertaking, based on wide reading conveyed both in the text and in a useful bibliography. . . . The book achieves its primary purpose as a reference work, and judicious use of the index allows fascinating cross-cultural exploration of topics such as bride price or inheritance systems. . . . may advance a much-needed process of bringing advances in the social history of the family into an appropriate global focus."-American Historical Review

G. ROBINA QUALE is Professor of History at Albion College, Michigan.