Looking for Love: Navigating and Negotiating Ethno-Religious Identities in Online Dating
By
Fatema Zohara
The increased use of dating apps by young Muslims reflects a modern adaptation of traditional cultural values to suit their contemporary needs. This study explores the relationship between the use of dating apps for children of Muslim Bangladeshi immigrants in Chicago, USA, and Toronto, Canada, and the navigation and negotiation of ethnoreligious identities concerning marriage and romantic relationships. The convergence of modern technology and traditional cultural values is explored as online platforms replace offline actors in matchmaking. This investigation provides insights into how children of Muslim Bangladeshi immigrants find romantic partners by employing multiple strategies, including dating apps. This study uses in-depth interviews with children of Muslim Bangladeshi immigrants living in Chicago, USA, and Toronto, Canada, between the ages of 18 and 38 years old. Findings reveal that participants use multifaceted strategies to find romantic partners, including the traditional route of finding someone through family and friends and dating apps. This research sheds light on the complex interplay between religious and ethnic identity, marriage, space, and gender. Dating apps allow participants to pursue compatible partners based on self-selected religious and cultural parameters, promoting a sense of autonomy. This research also finds that the preferences for finding romantic partners online depend on their access to their ethnic communities (i.e., living in close proximity to their ethnic enclave vs. no enclave). The study concludes by emphasizing the nuanced relationship between dating apps, traditional matchmaking practices, and the construction of ethnoreligious gender and spatial identities in the context of romantic relationships and marriage.
Keywords: Online dating; marriage; ethnoreligious identity; culture.