Gavin Jones’ scholarship on divorce in Asia: understanding trends, patterns, and implications

This paper highlights Professor Gavin Jones' seminal work on Asian divorce patterns, with a particular focus on Southeast Asia's Muslim communities. Beginning in the 1980s, Jones addressed the challenges of fragmented and often unreliable demographic data on divorce. With careful compilati...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Dommaraju, Premchand, Hu, Shu
Other Authors: School of Social Sciences
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10356/179489
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Institution: Nanyang Technological University
Language: English
Description
Summary:This paper highlights Professor Gavin Jones' seminal work on Asian divorce patterns, with a particular focus on Southeast Asia's Muslim communities. Beginning in the 1980s, Jones addressed the challenges of fragmented and often unreliable demographic data on divorce. With careful compilation and analysis of aggregate data, paired with firsthand surveys and ethnographic studies, he set a foundation for examining shifting divorce trends in Southeast Asia. His findings challenged prevailing ethnocentric perspectives and questioned the notion that modernisation invariably leads to rising divorce rates. Jones stressed the importance of understanding divorce within the broader social, cultural, and historical contexts of the respective societies. Beyond his individual research, he was instrumental in cultivating a community of scholars studying marriage and divorce in Asia and fostering collaborations. Jones' insights into Asia's demographic shifts have been invaluable, and his legacy will continue to influence demographers for generations to come.