Stephanie CoontzThinkers

Marriage is a polygamous affair between the mormons and also muslims as well as medieval european kings.

Marriage is, in many parts of the world, a practice involving related individuals such as cousins, and in ancient egypt, siblings or half-siblings, for the purpose of bolstering claims to dynastic continuity.

Marriage is not always about the reproduction and rearing of children. Shi'a muslims practice mut'a (pleasure) marriages, the sole purpose of which is sex and sexual pleasure, enjoyed under the protection of the law.

Marriage is not always regulated by the state. In both ancient egypt and rome, and unless high stakes were involved, marriage was a private contract drawn up by the involved families. For the poorer classes, private contracts were not even involved at all, and a man and woman were considered married when they established a household together.

Marriage is not just between humans. Among the bella coola and kwakiutl of the the pacific northwest, if two families wished to trade with each other and no suitable marriage partners were available, a contract would be drawn up between one individual and another's foot or even with a dog belonging to the family of the desired in-laws.

Marriage is sometimes between a human and a ghost in a so-called 'ghost marriage' (in China and sudan) whereby a youth might be given in marriage to the dead son or daughter of another family, in order to forge closer ties between the two sets of relatives.

Marriage is sometimes done between a man and a girl as young as two or three years old (among the toda of southern india).

Marriage is sometimes not a matter of cohabitation, such as among the among the ashanti of ghana and the minangkabau of indonesia, where men continue to live with their mothers and sisters after marriage.

Marriage is sometimes not a matter of cohabitation, such as in new guinea among the gururumba, where the married pair comes together only during the day's main meal time.

Marriage is sometimes not about economic cooperation of the spouses. Such as among the yoruba peoples where they do not pool resources.

Marriage is sometimes not just between a man and a woman. In some west african societies, a woman may be married to another woman as a 'female husband.'.

Marriage was, in most societies until the 18th century, far too vital an economic and political institution to be left entirely to the free choice of the two individuals involved.

Marriage is a state-sanctioned activity which, until 1753 in England, was a private agreement and not a concern of the state or the church.