Love, Materiality, and Masculinity in Jordan

Abstract

This article discusses how performing masculinity in intimate relationships is related to the material dimensions of love. Drawing upon ethnographic fieldwork among middle-class young men and women in the Jordanian capital of Amman, I argue that to understand the continuing significance of the material aspects of marriage, it is important to pay attention to local notions of practical and transactional forms of love. Contributing to emerging scholarship on “caring” Arab masculinities, this article shows how material forms of care are integral to local relationship dynamics. Yet, in the context of the current economic situation in Jordan, the resources of many young men are limited, and they find themselves in a difficult position, both as compassionate partners and as manly men. Hence, they negotiate the entanglements of love and money by associating “true love” with their female partner’s willingness to compromise on the material requirements of marriage.