Love of the heart’

Romantic love among young mothers in Mali

Datos Bibliográficos

ID15098786
AutoresDitte Enemark Sølbeck (University of Copenhagen, autor de correspondencia)
Año2010
Volumen12
Número4
Páginas415-427
Fecha de publicación2010-05-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaCulture Health & Sexuality (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1369-1058 • E-ISSN: 1464-5351
EditorialInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13691051003586906
PMID20169480
OpenAlexW2042198362
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas12
Referencias citadas13

This paper calls attention to an ideal of romantic love among young unmarried mothers in Mali. It demonstrates that romantic love constitutes a motivating force for the agency of young Malian mothers who invest themselves in hopes of romantic outcomes from their relationships. Like the majority of people in Mali, the young mothers in this study dedicated a considerable time each weekday to watching a Venezuelan soap opera, which could be regarded as offering a modern version of Romeo and Juliet. Yet, romance is not the only thing that matters in young mothers' ideals of love. Materiality plays an important role as well. Thus, young mothers have multiple motives for engaging in relationships with men: they seek both romance and material stability, which is why an either love or exchange perspective is insufficient when examining the topic of romantic love in a Malian context

Art · Context (archaeology · Ethnology · Geography · Humanities · Literature · Romance · Sociology · Gender Studies · Gender, Health, and Social Inequality · Marriage and Sexual Relationships · Psychology