Consuming Desires

"[Hasso] provides a much welcome analysis on unregistered marriage and presents a distinctive contribution to the study of the intersection between kinship and state within this region." - Sarah Walker, Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute "Hasso brings much-needed critical attention to the topic of secret marriage in the Middle East and North Africa. From the trend of focusing on male unruliness to the emerging idea that women may be choosing not to marry because they are not willing to compromise or put up with domination, this work delivers a number of novel arguments on a topic of intense interest and anxiety. An extremely original and striking book!" - Lila Abu-Lughod, Columbia University "The personal is political everywhere, but nowhere more profoundly than in Arab societies undergoing rapid social change. Hasso's account of the ways in which marriage and intimacy intersect with state policy and legal systems in Egypt and the UAE is timely, important, and insightful. Hasso rightly analyzes the challenges and difficulties but also reports on real gains." - Craig Calhoun, University Professor of the Social Sciences at New York University, President of the Social Science Research Council