The history of marriage - Alex Gendler

Istorija braka - Aleks Gendler (Alex Gendler)

Prevodilac: Jovana Kentic Lektor: Vesna Savić

There have been many different things

Mnogo je različitih stvari

written and said about marriage.

napisano i rečeno o braku.

From the sweetly inspirational

Od inspirativno slatkih,

to the hilariously cynical.

do urnebesno ciničnih.

Ono što je zajedničko većini tih izreka

But what many of them have in common

je to što zvuče kao da iskazuju

is that they sound like they express

a universal and timeless truth,

univerzalnu i vanvremensku istinu.

Zapravo, skoro sve što se tiče braka -

when in fact nearly everything about marriage,

from its main purpose

počev od njegove glavne svrhe,

to the kinds of relationships it covers

preko veza koje podrazumeva,

to the rights and responsibilities involved,

pa sve do prava i obaveza koje uključuje -

has varied greatly between different eras,

vrlo je variralo tokom različitih vremena,

cultures and social classes.

u drugim kulturama, kao i društvenim klasama.

So, let's take a quick look at

Hajde da brzo pogledamo

the evolution of marriage.

evoluciju braka.

Par koji se veže i odgaja decu

Pair bonding and raising children

is as old as humanity itself.

priča je stara koliko i čovečanstvo.

With the rise of sedentary agricultural societies

S pojavom poljoprivrednih zajednica koje ne menjaju stanište,

about 10,000 years ago,

pre oko 10.000 godina,

marriage was also a way

brak je bio način

of securing rights to land and property

osiguravanja prava na zemljišni posed

određivanjem da deca koja su rođena pod tim oklonostima

by designating children born under certain circumstances

as rightful heirs.

budu zakonski naslednici.

Kako su te zajednice postajale složenije

As these societies became larger and more complex,

marriage became not just a matter

brak je prestao da bude stvar

between individuals and families,

između pojedinca i porodice.

but also an official institution

Postao je i zvanična institucija

governed by religious and civil authorities.

određena od strane verskih i civilnih vlasti.

And it was already well established by 2100 B.C.

Sve je bilo utvrđeno već do 2100. pre n. e.

when the earliest surviving written laws

od kada datiraju najstariji zakoni

in the Mesopotamian Code of Ur-Nammu

pisani mesopotamijskim pismom ur-namu

provided many specifics governing marriage,

koji propisuju pravila koja se tiču braka -

from punishments for adultery

od kazne za preljubu,

do pravnog statusa dece koju rode robovi.

to the legal status of children born to slaves.

Many ancient civilizations allowed some form of

Mnoge drevne civilizacije dozvoljavale su

neku vrstu poligamije.

multiple simultaneous marriage.

And even today, less than a quarter of the world's

Čak i danas, manje od jedne četvrtine

hundreds of different cultures prohibit it.

od hiljada svetskih kultura to zabranjuje.

But just because something was allowed

Ipak, iako je nešto dozvoljeno

doesn't mean it was always possible.

to ne znači da je i bilo moguće.

Demographic realities,

Demografska stvarnost,

kao i veza između braka i bogatstva

as well as the link between marriage and wealth,

meant that even though rulers and elites

značila je da, iako su vladari i elita

in Ancient Mesopotamia,

drevne Mesopotamije,

Egypt and Israel

Egipta i Izraela

imali više žena i ljubavnica,

had multiple concubines or wives,

most commoners could only afford one or two

većina običnog stanovništva je najčešće

tending towards monogamy in practice.

mogla da priušti samo jednu ili dve,

što je u praksi težilo ka monogamiji.

In other places, the tables were turned,

Na drugim mestima uloge su bile obrnute:

and a woman could have multiple husbands

i žene su mogle imati više muževa,

as in the Himalayan Mountains

kao npr. na Himalajima

where all brothers in a family

gde su se sva braća iz jedne porodice venčavala s jednom istom ženom,

marrying the same woman

kept the small amount of fertile land

da bi se sprečilo deljenje male količine plodne zemlje

from being constantly divided into new households.

među novim domaćinstvima.

Marriages could vary

Brakovi su varirali

not only in the number of people they involved

ne samo u broju ljudi

but the types of people as well.

već i u vrsti.

Although the names and laws for such arrangements

Iako su se imena i zakoni takvih zajednica

may have differed,

možda razlikovali,

publicly recognized same-sex unions

javno priznate istopolne zajednice

javljale su se tokom istorije

have popped up

in various civilizations throughout history.

u mnogim civilizacijama.

Mesopotamian prayers included blessings for such couples,

Mesopotamijske molitve imale su blagoslove

za takve parove,

while Native American Two-Spirit individuals

dok su Indijanci sa dva duha

had relationships with both sexes.

imali odnose sa oba pola.

The first instances of such arrangements

Prvi primer takvog dogovora

koji je nazvan brakom

actually being called "Marriage"

come from Rome,

potiče iz Rima,

gde su imperatori Neron i Elagabal

where the Emperors Nero and Elagabalus

both married men in public ceremonies

bili venčani s drugim muškarcima na javnim ceremonijama,

with the practice being explictly banned

a ta praksa je zabranjena

in 342 A.D.

342. godine n. e.

But similar traditions survived

Slične tradicije su bile su aktuelne

well into the Christian era,

dugo tokom hrišćanskog doba,

such as Adelphopoiesis,

poput adelfopoeze,

or "brother-making" in Orthodox churches,

iliti bratimljenja, u pravoslavnim crkvama,

and even an actual marriage between two men

čak i braka dva muškarca

recorded in 1061 at a small chapel in Spain.

zabeleženog 1061. godine u jednoj maloj kapeli u Španiji.

Nor was marriage even necessarily

Brak nije neophodno bio

zajednica dvoje živih ljudi.

between two living people.

Brakovi s duhovima,

Ghost marriages,

u kojima su mlada ili mladoženja preminuli,

where either the bride or groom were deceased,

bili su sklapani u Kini

were conducted in China

to continue family lineages

da bi se nastavila porodica

ili umirili duhovi.

or appease restless spirits.

And some tribes in Sudan maintain similar practices.

Neka plemena u Sudanu imala su slične običaje.

Despite all these differences,

Uprkos svim tim razlikama,

a lot of marriages throughout history

mnogo brakova kroz istoriju

did have one thing in common.

ima jednu zajedničku stvar.

With crucial matters

Sa ključnim stvarima

like property and reproduction at stake,

poput poseda i reprodukcije,

they were way too important

bili su previše bitni

to depend on young love.

da zavise od mladalačke ljubavi.

Especially among the upperclasses,

Posebno među višim klasama,

matches were often made by families or rulers.

brakove su sklapali roditelji ili vladari.

But even for commoners, who had some degree of choice,

Čak za one koji su imali izbor,

the main concern was practicality.

praktičnost je bila najbitnija.

The modern idea of marriage

Savremeni koncept braka

as being mainly about love and companionship

zbog ljubavi i privrženosti

javio se tek u poslednjih nekoliko vekova.

only emerged in the last couple of centuries.

With industrialization,

Sa industrijalizacijom,

urbanizacijom,

urbanization

i rastom srednje klase,

and the growth of the middle class

more people became independent

ljudi su postajali nezavisni

from large extended families

od svojih ogromnih porodica

i u stanju da izdržavaju

and were able to support

sopstveno domaćinstvo.

a new household on their own.

Podstaknuti novim idejama prosvetiteljstva,

Encouraged by new ideas

from the Enlightenment,

people began to focus

ljudi su počeli da se koncentrišu

on individual happiness and pursuits,

na sopstvenu sreću i želje

rather than familial duty or wealth and status,

pre nego na porodičnu dužnost, bogatstvo i status,

at least some of the time.

bar na neko vreme.

And this focus on individual happiness

Koncentrisanje na sopstvenu sreću

soon led to other transformations,

uskoro je dovelo do drugih promena

such as easing restrictions on divorce

poput slabijih ograničenja razvoda

and more people marrying at a later age.

i venčavanja u kasnijem dobu.

So, as we continue to debate the role and definition

Dok raspravljamo o ulozi i definiciji

braka u modernom svetu,

of marriage in the modern world,

treba da imamo na umu

it might help to keep in mind

that marriage has always been shaped by society,

da je brak oduvek oblikovalo društvo,

a kako se društvena struktura,

and as a society's

structure, values and goals

vrednosti i ciljevi

change over time,

vremenom menjaju,

its ideas of marriage will continue to change along with them.

i koncept braka će nastaviti da se menja

zajedno s njima.