RECONFIGURING MUSLIM MARRIAGE: LAW, ISLAM, AND MODERNITY IN BANGLADESH, 1833-2015

Abstract

This dissertation explores the role of colonial and postcolonial law in the historical construction of Muslim marriage in Bangladesh (1833-2015). It examines how legal reform and liberal interpretations of Sharia contributed to the transforming of Muslim marriage from a social relationship into a state-managed secular institution. Viewed through the prism of British India, East Pakistan, and eventually Bangladesh, this research shows how different bodies of legal and religious authority competed to define family life and the place of women in Sharia society. By reconstructing the history of how colonial and postcolonial legal processes began to redefine and reconfigure elements of Muslim marriage, this dissertation contributes to broader discussions of Islamic law and modernity in South Asia.