Interfaith marriages, though sanctioned and protected under the legal warranty of the Special Marriage Act 1954, couples choosing to solemnise and register their marriage under the religion-neutral personal law are subjected to informal societal sanctions and punished by the state and its apparatus. Unlike the traditional trauma theory that focuses on the individualist psychological experiences of violence and its aftermath, the postcolonial trauma studies mark a paradigm shift, mapping the experiences of those suffering within the sociopolitical context of their occurrence. The experience of trauma induced by a violent event is thus perceived as much of the survivor as it is of the structure foregrounding the violence. The newly formed civil code that applies uniformly to all citizens, inspite of its promise of warranting justice to all withstand the social stigma and societal pressures, thereby jeopardizing the Constitutional mandate of choosing one’s partner for marriage. Drawing on field notes, the secondary studies on jurisprudential and quotidian practices, and reading of a select list of the already concluded Supreme Court and High Court judgments, the research promises to tread through the social troubles that interfaith couples face. The research engaging with the questions of identity and liberty, and the debates on the secularisation of marriage practices vis-à-vis the findings on gender, kinship, and the dynamics of individuals with community in a pluralist secular democracy will contribute to sociology.

Authors:
Suchandra Ghosh, Rani Indira Debi Government Girls' College, India

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Suchandra Ghosh is a University Assistant Professor/Lecturer at Rani Indira Debi Government Girls' College (erstwhile Jhargram Raj College Girls' Wing) in India

See this presentation on the full schedule – Monday Schedule

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