ABSTRACT
This chapter draws on the life stories of Bengali Muslim women like Husna and Hawa, both in Britain and in South Asia, to challenge these crude but remarkably pervasive constructs. It explores the journeys of numerous women migrants which are linked to, but not limited by, their experience of marriage. It draws attention to the agency of brides and migrant wives and their capacity to generate cultural change. The chapter begins with a historical introduction to marriage in Bengal between 1940 and 1980. Exploring marriage migration demonstrates that the movement of brides is integrally concerned with processes of social and cultural change and transformation within and across borders, places, and times. The focus on brides allows to recognize marriage as both a personal and intimate moment of transformation and to place this within the larger historical, social, and political landscape.
