Socio-cultural and psychological features of interethnic marriages

this article addresses the challenge of formulating a universal definition for the broad concept of marriage. This difficulty arises from the fact that its definition varies significantly among different peoples, depending directly on their cultural and value-based characteristics. A key distinction lies in the proportion of exogamous and endogamous types of marriage within a society.The primary functions of these types of marriage are as follows: endogamy (marriage within one's social group) facilitates cultural continuity and cohesion within closed communities, while exogamy (marriage outside one's social group) fosters the creation and maintenance of new social ties in open societies. The article examines their characteristics, marriage norms, and their interrelation with political, economic, and social processes, emphasizing that adherence to these rules depends on external factors and the needs of the group. Additionally, it analyzes the processes of acculturation, assimilation, and integration, which may lead not only to the weakening of endogamous norms but also to the complete erasure of cultural boundaries – an outcome that, while theoretically possible, remains rare in practice.

family psychology, marriage, exogamy, endogamy, interethnic relations, mixed marriages