The marriage between our families has ended the enmity]. Genealogy of a Marriage

Abstract

The outcome of an inquiry into a family saga, this article discusses gender relations in a Roma community in eastern Romania. Focusing on the events and negotiations that lead to the establishing of a marriage, I show how the apparent male domination is nuanced by the sometimes victorious struggles of women to impose their own choices. Observing marriages and their structures from the viewpoint of the women involved, this work both provides new empirical knowledge and sheds light on the male bias in anthropological research of kinship structures.