“He’s not good enough for you”
Summary
This thesis questions how Ladinas in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, cross gendered ethnic boundaries in their marriages with Indígena men. Focus is put on areas of conflict and tension that appear to be the most common in interethnic marriages between Ladinas and Indígenas. The aim of this thesis is to show how Ladinas who are married to Indígena men, negotiate their ethnic and gender identities within their marriages, as Ladinas cross gendered ethnic boundaries while being engaged in an interethnic marriage. Focus is put especially on the relation between sexuality and moral, and on the notion of women as cultural gatekeepers. In this thesis it becomes clear that there are certain dynamics at play with regards to boundary negotiation within interethnic marriages. This can be seen by how Ladinas maintain, stretch or cross over gendered ethnic boundaries in their interethnic marriages. We will find that in the different fields of tension and conflict that come to the fore in this research, ethnic, nor gender boundaries are equal in rigidity. Dependent on the social context, some boundaries are stronger than others