Gendered Relationships and Localized Islam: The Meaning of Marriage(s) and Divorce(s) among the Swahili of Coastal Tanzania

Susi Krehbiel, Brown University

This paper incorporates methods and theory from the field of demographic anthropology to address marriage and divorce in the context of the dynamic relationship between Islam, gender and culture among Muslims on the Swahili coast of Tanzania. A crucial aspect of understanding these processes is to explore the complex and multidimensional nature of relationships between men and women in Swahili society. The Swahili people are recognized for their high divorce rates; indeed, divorce and multiple marriages over the life-course are described as the typical experience for Swahili people. This research examines divorce from a gendered perspective and clarifies cultural models and meanings of marriage and divorce among Swahili women and men. The primary finding of this research is that Swahili women do have options outside of marriage and that divorce has consequences for both men and women (economically, socially, and politically within their communities) that need to be explored.