Intercultural Couples

While cross-cultural relations were once assumed to be inherently problematic, in recent years these couples have increased in both numbers and social acceptance, and there is now a growing awareness of how little we really know about them. Addressing this gap in our knowledge, this book presents 12 chapters focusing on cross-cultural couple formations (i.e., a partner from the U.S. and another from abroad). Highlighting both the struggles and successes of couples, this book challenges the principle of homogamy, helping the reader gain a deeper understanding and respect for intercultural couples. The chapters tackle a broad range of topics and issues, including systemic considerations of the phenomenon of cross-cultural couples, bilingual couples, interfaith relationships, struggles in such couple formations, different methods of approaching solutions, and the use of the internet to meet partners from diverse backgrounds.

Acknowledgments. Contributors. Killian, Introduction. Theoretical Frameworks for Understanding Intercultural Couples. Rosenblatt, A Systems Theory Analysis of Intercultural Couple Relationships. Leeds-Horwitz, Ambiguity as a Solution to the "Problem" of Intercultural Weddings. Ting-Toomey, A Mindful Approach to Managing Conflict in Intercultural Intimate Couples. Examining Prevalent Assumptions about Intercultural Relationships. Piller, "I Always Wanted to Marry a Cowboy": Bilingual Couples, Language, and Desire. Grearson, Smith, The Luckiest Girls in the World. Karis, "We're Just a Couple of People": An Exploration of Why Some Black-White Couples Reject the Terms Cross-Cultrual and Interracial. Agathangelou, Killian, Electronic Attachments: Desire, the Other, and the Internet Marital Trade in the 21st Century. Particular Cultural Combinations. Visson, Russian-American Marriages: Cultures and Conflicts. Llerena-Quinn, Bacigalupe, Constructions of Difference Among Latino/Latina Immigrant and Non-Hispanic White Couples. Rastogi, Asian Indians in Intercultural Marriages: Intersections of Acuclturation, Gender, and Exogamy. Daneshpour, Bridges Crossed, Paths Traveled: Muslim Intercultural Couples. Gaines, Ramkissoon, U.S./Carribean Couples: Perspectives from Caribbean Psychology and Mainstream Social Psychology.