WHEN LOVE ENCOUNTERS RELIGION: INTERFAITH MARRIAGES AMONG INDIANS IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

This thesis examines inter-religious marriages amongst Indians in Singapore, and analyses the highly negotiated, and emotionally-fraught process of making such marriages work. While nearly all couples will admit that tensions and difficulties are a feature of marriage, this study, through an interrogation of everyday interactions, reveals the specific challenges faced by inter-religious married couples, which are both familial and cultural-societal in nature. In doing so, it prompts a critical engagement with the heterogenous nature of the Singaporean Indian identity, and the negotiated nature of identity construction in general. At a broader level, the value of this study lies in its serving as an indicator of the contestations and negotiations that may be evident in interfaith marriages, a phenomenon which is increasing in cosmopolitan Singapore