gender, caste, and patriarchy in northern India Chowdhry, Prem creator text New Delhi Oxford University Press 2007 monographic x, 347 p. ; 22 cm. This book deals with the widespread phenomenon of contentious marriages and elopements in Haryana. It focuses on the role of caste panchayats which curbs individual rights in the name of maintaining honour, brotherhood, community, and village unity. It also unravels how state agencies abet the arbitrary workings of these panchayat. CONTENTS: Colonial period: Creeping Rigidity -- Post- colonial Haryana: Caste Endogamy and Traditional Panchayats -- Inter-Caste Marriages: Defying Cultural Norms -- Cases of Runaway Marriage: State Intervention -- Controlling Remarriage: Post-Colonial Strengthening of the Levirate -- Understanding Local Perceptions: Caste Stereotypes and Cultural Explanations -- Social Factors: Political Economy of Contentious Marriages. Prem Chowdhry Includes bibliographical references (p. [315]-328) and index Elopement India Marriage India 9780198063612 2006454869 6660