ACC discusses arranged marriage opinions

In the U.S., young adults have the freedom to choose their partner, but in many countries around the world, arranged marriages are a way of life.

Twice a month, members of the Asian Culture Center meet to address issues affecting Asian Americans. During a discussion Friday, participants expressed their opinions and stereotypes of arranged marriages.

“I think today’s event was very informative to our guests and students, and they were able to learn a lot from each other and just share different perspectives in a non-threatening environment,” said Melanie Castillo-Cullather, director of the ACC.

Attendees also talked about different approaches of how these engagements could be analyzed. The “older generation” was compared to the “younger generation,” the “traditional way” was contrasted to the “modern way” and a scientific approach of how an individual might react to a picture of their soon-to-be spouse was also mentioned.

The attendees enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of the talk where they could freely say what was on their minds. Some mentioned they did not have a problem with arranged marriages as long as they were not ultimately forced to marry the person, while others disagreed and emphasized people needed to find their own spouses and experience love and romance.

“I think I definitely learned a fair amount of information from different people because everyone has different perspectives,” said senior Musa Burki. “If we just stay open-minded, (arranged marriages) can work, parents just have to adapt to children and the kids need to accommodate with parents and find a middle ground.”

At the talk, Sara Friedman, associate professor of anthropology, said love is not simply an emotion, but a flexible idea where it can be socially constructed as to decide who is desirable as a spouse.

Mai-Lin Poon, a graduate assistant at the ACC, said the center is trying to host discussions to bring awareness to different topics regarding Asian Americans and Asians.

Castillo-Cullather said she was happy with the outcome of the event because participants were able to speak their minds about arranged marriages and learn various aspects of the controversial issue.

“We try to host this kind of talk to share and dispel stereotypes of Asian Americans and make people aware of our diverse approaches,” Castillo-Cullather said.