Negotiating the Everyday A Study on Marital Practices in the Patrilineal Kinship System of Malabar Mappila Women

Abstract

This research titled Negotiating the Everyday; A Study on Marriage Practices in the Patrilineal Kinship System of Malabar Mappila Women is social anthropological research that undertakes a scholarly endeavour to comprehend the everyday negotiations of Mappila women in the South Malabar region of Kerala in their marriage practices in the Patrilineal Kinship systems. This study aims to delve into three primary objectives. Firstly, this research aims to study how Mappila women situate themselves in their everyday lives. It also explores how they negotiate in the context of their marriage practices in the Patrilineal Kinship system in Malabar. Secondly, it looks into the shift in marriage practices and its implication in the everyday lives of Mappila women. Finally, to analyze the quasi-legal system that shapes the discourses on marriage and how women negotiate with them. This is a multi-cited ethnographic research which incorporated participant observation, in-depth semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions as data collection methods. By utilizing the possibilities of auto-ethnography, I incorporated my lived experience, memories, and emotions as a Mappila woman born and brought up in Malappuram District of Kerala. I have also utilized my familiarity with the place as a native of the region and engaged in informal conversations wherever necessary. I have utilized social media as one of my tools and explored engaging in conversations using WhatsApp and Facebook. I have also analyzed some popular Islamic literature such as Islamic magazines and published YouTube videos which deal with the cultural and religious discussions on the marriage practices of Muslim women. Using the possibility of the everyday theory of Henri Lefebvre, this study explores the everyday life of Mappila women which is otherwise viewed as ahistorical and familiar and thus known to the outer world. I attempt to unpack the unfamiliar micro struggles of Mappila women and historicize their lives rather than allowing them to be taken