Throughout the last couple of centuries, traditional ideals of romantic love have suggested people find their soul mate, marry the loved one, have children, and live happily ever after. The cultural beliefs in love marriages have long shaped people’s dreams … Continue reading
Category Archives: marriages in cultural contexts
How Marriage Evolved Into Singlehood
In people’s minds, love and marriage relationships have been deeply associated with wellbeing and happiness. For a long time, many women and some men thought that marriage would bring them happiness in life. Yet, something unexpected occurred by the end … Continue reading
What Happened with Marriage in the Late 20th Century?
The middle of the 20th century, from the 1950s to the 1960s, was the “golden age of marriage” and the triumph of romantic love. Many modern societies have experienced the rise of the cultural ideologies of “love marriage” and “sexual … Continue reading
What Happened After the Golden Age of Marriage?
Social scientists coined the term “golden age of marriage,“ referring to the period in the middle of the 20th century. In the 1950s and 1960s, the cultural ideology of “love marriage” and a number of marriages became popular and prevalent … Continue reading
The Golden Age of Love Marriage in Western Societies
Love marriage appears to be a valuable cultural value in many countries throughout Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as many other modernized societies around the world. However, it was not always true in history. In the … Continue reading
The Italian Value of Beauty and Love
Many cultural characteristics distinguish national beauty standards. In this and previous articles, I describe Italian beauty based on many sources from the last several centuries. Let us explore the archival legacy of love scholarship (Finck, 1887/2019). Here are some of … Continue reading
How Romantic Was the Ancient Aryan Love?
The term “Aryan culture” refers to the ancient cultural civilizations that existed many centuries ago. The word “Aryan” was often used interchangeably with “Indo-European” to mean Indo-Iranian languages. Here I will talk about Aryan love. Who Were the Aryans? In … Continue reading
Two African Societies with Matriarchal Cultures
Many of us are familiar with traditional patriarchal societies, which have been prevalent throughout the world for many centuries. In a patriarchal society, the father is the main owner of a property and the head of a household. Because of … Continue reading
Three Surprisingly Unusual Matriarchal Cultures in Asia
Many of us are familiar with traditional patriarchal societies that are widespread across the world. In patriarchy, the father is both the home and family head in many respects. Can a matriarchal culture of gender relations be possible and viable? … Continue reading
What Was Surprising About Ancient Hebrew Love?
Love has been an enduring Hebrew idea since Biblical times. What about romantic love? What do the Old and New Testaments tell us about it? A Hebrew word for “love” is אהבה (ahavah, pronounced ah-ha-VAH), while a Biblical Hebrew word … Continue reading