ABSTRACT
Through encounters with family law, domestic violence and mediation in contemporary Bangladesh, this chapter examines how marriage is reflected and shaped through law. It also provides an ethnographic portrait of everyday law as depicted through the governance of marriage. It also points out how women in socially vulnerable groups make use of an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) process in a collaborative project between a judicial body and a counseling center (third-sector agent) in Bangladesh. This chapter seeks an understanding of how informal mediation affects the bargaining position of the battered women. This is followed by some interlinked questions: can such socially innovative mediation alleviate their situation and does it lead to sustainable solutions? Do women get a chance to express their views in the legal arena and obtain justice to establish their rights? In this regard, this chapter focuses on some examples of shalishs (mediation) that are obtained from participation observation.
