The interconnectedness of marriage politics and luxury consumption: a marital biographical perspective

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe article examines how two symbolic arenas of Gabor Roma politics – the accumulation of wealth (with a special focus on competitive luxury consumption centred around beakers and roofed tankards made of antique silver) and marriage politics – are intertwined and interact with each other. The first part introduces Roma politics, describes the most important features of luxury consumption and marriage politics, and delineates the main types of interconnectedness and interplay between these two symbolic arenas. The second part, using a marital biographical perspective, sheds light on how one of these types of interconnectedness works through a detailed analysis of the establishment and dissolution of an engagement of historical importance among the Gabor Roma. This case study demonstrates why and how economic and political ambitions or constraints may shape individual and family-level strategies and decision-making concerning partner choice and marriage politics. The article serves as an insightful example of why a marital biographical perspective – based on concepts such as processuality, dynamism, relatedness, and context-sensitivity – is well suited to provide a nuanced insight into how the political economy of family life works in various ethnographic settings.