An exploration the failed integration of a prospective wife into a herding family in rural Mongolia.

This presentation explores the failed integration of a prospective wife into a herding family in rural Mongolia, drawing on the case of Zorig, a young Mongolian herder whose intended union is progressively called into question by his family. First, I will seek to examine the modalities through which a prospective daughter-in-law is integrated into a herding kinship network in contemporary rural Mongolia by approaching the process in reverse, focusing on how and why such integration may fail. Second, I will more broadly explore what it means to “make family” in rural Mongolia, and suggest that morality plays an important role in this process.

Organised by the Centre for Research on Families and Relationships.

Short bio:
Dr Veronica Gruca completed her PhD in Social Anthropology in 2024, specializing in Mongolian Studies, at the École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Paris. She is currently undertaking a two-year postdoctoral fellowship, with the University of Edinburgh as her host institution.