Bitter fruits of arranged marriage: a case study of North Cyprus

Abstract

Throughout the world people face confusion in their thinking about love, sex and marriage. Since the problem is universal, it is useful to examine its scope in a limited or local sense. This paper examines a story of one person in the hope of shedding light on a problem that exists for all. The method we use is to record a narrative told by one woman as she seeks resolution and clarification of the problems that she identifies in her story. We use the narrative to present the magic realist approach where the story begins as it ends.

Notes

^1. Cyprus is the third largest Island in the Mediterranean after Sicily and Sardinia. The main ethnic groups inhabiting Cyprus are Greek and Turkish Cypriots. Due to political reasons in 1974 the Island was split into the Greek and Turkish parts, where the Greek part is officially known as Cyprus and the Turkish part as Turkish Republic of North Cyprus or North Cyprus. In many ways the lifestyle of Greek and Turkish Cypriots are the same; therefore in this article we use Cyprus and North Cyprus interchangeably.

^2. An important social characteristic of any region in North Cyprus as well as in the Eastern Mediterranean is the existence of ‘coffee shop society’, which is a place where men come together to drink coffee and gossip. Throughout the region one can typically see men socializing in cafes while women remain home, keeping the house. The story is an old one – we can think of The Phaedo and the trouble Xantippe encountered when she urged Socrates to come home to spend time with his family.

^3. In the original text: ‘… We are English …’

^4. Nikah is the contract between a bride and bridegroom according to a Muslim tradition. It is the first part of the marriage ceremony, which implies the signing of the marriage contract itself.