Undergraduate Honors Thesis

College of Arts and Sciences Honors Senior Thesis

Subcontinental Identity: A Comparative Qualitative Analysis of the Effects of Tribal and Caste Identity on Marriage Attitudes in Northeast India and North India

Marriage attitudes in India are deeply tied to tribal and caste identity. Due to historical and cultural influence, differing marriage practices in India are demarcated by its geographic regions. This research will conduct a comparative analysis of previous research to answer the question of how tribal and caste identity impact the distinct marriage attitudes in the regions of Northeast and North India from a historical and cultural perspective. When compared to North India, the findings reveal that the Northeast region, which is dominated by tribal and indigenous systems, is often an outlier among its mainland counterparts, especially when it comes to the traditional hallmarks of an Indian marriage. As India continues to amass influence and population in the world, future research should undergo a more disaggregated approach towards examining Indian culture by region.

Keywords: India, northeast, marriage, tribal identity, caste identity