Shortlisted for the BSA Philip Abrams Memorial Prize 2017Against long-standing characterizations of British Asians as ‘flying the flag’ for traditional life, this book identifies an increase in marital breakdown and argues to reorient debates about conservatism and authoritarianism in British Asian families.

Introduction.- Part I: Grounds for conflict.- 1. Storying marital conflict.- 2. Explanations for divorce.- Part II: Staying together.- 3. Family mediation4 Estrangements, separations and yoyo marriages.- Part III: Splitting up.- 5. Sharia.- 6.-  English law.- Part IV: Rebuilding families.- 7.-  Staying single.- 8.-  Remarriage.- 9. Children and stepfamilies.- Conclusion

“This timely and important study, based on intensive fieldwork, examines the fallouts of rising divorce rates in Asian families. Focused on British Pakistani Muslims, it assesses how men and women view and handle divorce, frequently in an extended family context, an environment of legal plurality and with the potential to develop new kinship patterns. While British Asian families seem increasingly experienced as illness-inducing scenarios, the study skilfully differentiates particular socio-cultural contexts and leaves readers to draw their own conclusions about the advisability of opting for divorce.” (Werner Menski, SOAS, University of London, UK) “The marital practices of British Asians are time and again subject to stereotypes marking them as exemplar families with strong values and low divorce rates. Kaveri Qureshi’s book on divorce amongst British Asian groups makes a significant contribution, as she documents a rise in marital breakdown and new cultural understandings and negotiations of marital expectations, intimacy and gender equality. This is a richly illustrative journey that challenges Euro-American theories and popular scholarly predications that typically conflate rising divorce in Western societies with modern individualism. Qureshi has painstakingly and with great nuance, delineated a complex and deeply emotive phenomenon of our times. Her lucid narrative of contemporary social change, transformations in intimacy, transnational marriage and legal pluralisms will be of interest to wide audiences.” (Shalini Grover, Institute of Economic Growth, India)“A stunning, highly original book on a subject which is only now becoming the topic of multidisciplinary research: marital breakdown and divorce among British South Asians. Lucidly written and analytically coherent, the book provides a reflexive, subtle and nuanced account of how and why South Asian marriages break down, while exploding preconceived notions on this topic. Widely researched, Marital Breakdown among British Asians also allows for a comparative understanding of some of the theoretical issues at stake. Among these are debates about the changing shape of contemporary families, as well new approaches to gender, feminism and resistance.” (Pnina Werbner, Keele University, UK)

"This timely and important study, based on intensive fieldwork, examines the fallouts of rising divorce rates in Asian families. Focused on British Pakistani Muslims, it assesses how men and women view and handle divorce, frequently in an extended family context, an environment of legal plurality and with the potential to develop new kinship patterns. While British Asian families seem increasingly experienced as illness-inducing scenarios, the study skilfully differentiates particular socio-cultural contexts and leaves readers to draw their own conclusions about the advisability of opting for divorce." (Werner Menski, SOAS, University of London, UK) "The marital practices of British Asians are time and again subject to stereotypes marking them as exemplar families with strong values and low divorce rates. Kaveri Qureshi's book on divorce amongst British Asian groups makes a significant contribution, as she documents a rise in marital breakdown and new cultural understandings and negotiations of marital expectations, intimacy and gender equality. This is a richly illustrative journey that challenges Euro-American theories and popular scholarly predications that typically conflate rising divorce in Western societies with modern individualism. Qureshi has painstakingly and with great nuance, delineated a complex and deeply emotive phenomenon of our times. Her lucid narrative of contemporary social change, transformations in intimacy, transnational marriage and legal pluralisms will be of interest to wide audiences." (Shalini Grover, Institute of Economic Growth, India)

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