E. J. Graff

The book locates the same-sex marriage of the 1990s in the history of marriage, tracing the institution from the Old Testament Hebrews through medieval Catholic theologians to nineteenth-century Utopians. The author found an ever-changing institution that has always been a battleground, with same-sex marriage only the most recent skirmish in the battle. She discovered that in asking, “What is marriage for?” she was actually asking, “What does it mean to be fully human.”

The social history of marriage has indeed been strange, and it is incredibly interesting as well. E. J. Graff explores the purpose of and the reasons for marriage in Europe and North America from the ancient to the modern, all the while making a strong case for the inclusion, and legality, of same-sex marriage partnerships. The book is divided into six sections, each focusing on a particular aspect of marriage: Money, Sex, Babies, Kin, Order, and Heart. Understandably, some of the sections show more have overlapping themes, but each presents different information in an extremely readable (and at times sarcastic) fashion. What Is Marriage For? seems to be very well researched and includes an extensive bibliography. However, the endnotes were difficult to match up with the text. Overall, Graff has written a well thought-out book and has defended same-sex marriage using the social history of marriage as the background and basis for her argument.

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