Synopses & Reviews
In this book's first edition, Philip L. Kilbride showed polygamy as the preferred marriage pattern in most parts of the nonwestern world and explained how plural marriage is surfacing in western countries to address economic and spiritual crises. In
Plural Marriage for Our Times: A Reinvented Option? Second Edition, Kilbride and his coauthor, Douglas R. Page, update and enhance this thesis in light of contemporary circumstances, new studies, and current legal debates.
This new edition examines plural marriage's benefits for children. It extends the discussion of polygamy and religion, especially the Muslim perspective on marriage and family; considers the illegal polygamy of immigrants; and looks at multiple marriage in African American communities, where "crisis polygamy" is a growing phenomenon. The authors suggest Americans consider plural marriage as a viable practice that can help reduce the divorce rate, better protect women and children, and serve as an alternative to the "fractured family" so prevalent in America today.
Review
"Plural Marriage for Our TimeS≪/i> is a provocative and informative survey of polygamy world-wide containing several implications for marriage and the family in the U.S.A. I have used it in the classroom as both a text and supplemental reading with dazzling effect. I have found that students welcome its controversial perspective on options for meeting present and future challenges to durable pair-bonding." < p="">Michael C. Robbins, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, University of Missouri <>
Review
"Professor Kilbride provides a superb analysis of plural marriage as a viable alternative to American serial monogamy. He teaches us tolerance for customs which are widely practiced elsewhere in the world, but rarely understood in the United States. His refreshing child-centered perspective addresses the essential issue of how polygamy impacts the well-being of the family. In short, Professor Kilbride makes us aware of the growing presence of polygamy within the American marital landscape, especially with increased immigration from the Middle East, East Africa, and Southeast Asia." < p="">Janet Bennion, Professor of Anthropology, Lyndon State College; Author of < i=""> Women of Principle: Female Networking in Contemporary Mormon Polygyny < i=""> <>
Review
"Kilbride's latest edition forces us to separate 'fact from fiction' in the debates over polygamy. This work is wonderfully comparative, comprehensively researched and benefits from his astute work as an ethnographer among several different ethnic and religious groups in sub-Saharan Africa and the U.S. What's more, he provides a compelling, persuasive argument for the need to 'revisit' polygamy as a means of providing responsible care for children in the U.S. who experience family disruption. In this regard, there are clearly lessons that we can learn from Africa!" < p="">Mary Johnson Osirim, Professor and Chair, Department of Sociology, Bryn Mawr College <>
Review
"The book stands out for its multi-faceted perspective on marital pluralism and overwhelming cross-cultural empirical evidence anchored on views and voices of individuals who have had experience with different forms of family arrangements. The authors' intellectual elegance and brutal candor will, no doubt, inspire many readers to interrogate their moral nets as they choose from a broad range of marital forms to meet their needs and those of their children." < p="">Collette A. Suda, PhD, EBSm, Professor of Sociology, University of Nairobi, Kenya and Secretary for Gender and Social Development, Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Development, Republic of Kenya <> < p=""> <>
Review
"Journalist Page joins anthropologist Kilbride (Bryn Mawr) in expanding the first edition (CH, Apr'95, 32-4792) of Kilbride's extremely interesting book that presents the viewpoint that plural marriages could possibly be on the horizon for the US and other countries. The authors present many different cultural, sociological, and moral viewpoints concerning plural marriage and make a strong case for considering it as an alternative for traditional monogamous marriage. They address theology as well as political agendas from all sides, and subjects such as polyamory, swinging, and serial monogamy. In addition, the authors have conducted interviews and done extensive research on the subject from both international and historical viewpoints, and discuss in great detail the possible benefits to families, children, and society as a whole." - Choice
Synopsis
This thoroughly revised second edition offers a child-centered, international perspective as it urges America to de-stigmatize alternate family forms.
In this book's first edition, Philip L. Kilbride showed polygamy as the preferred marriage pattern in most parts of the nonwestern world and explained how plural marriage is surfacing in western countries to address economic and spiritual crises. In Plural Marriage for Our Times: A Reinvented Option? Second Edition, Kilbride and his coauthor, Douglas R. Page, update and enhance this thesis in light of contemporary circumstances, new studies, and current legal debates.
This new edition examines plural marriage's benefits for children. It extends the discussion of polygamy and religion, especially the Muslim perspective on marriage and family; considers the illegal polygamy of immigrants; and looks at multiple marriage in African American communities, where "crisis polygamy" is a growing phenomenon. The authors suggest Americans consider plural marriage as a viable practice that can help reduce the divorce rate, better protect women and children, and serve as an alternative to the "fractured family" so prevalent in America today.
Synopsis
This thoroughly revised second edition offers a child-centered, international perspective as it urges America to de-stigmatize alternate family forms.
Synopsis
. A chronology traces polygamy from early Christian to present times in Europe, America, and Africa
. Includes an extensive bibliography
Synopsis
In the United States, polygamy is illegal, and people have very strong feelings about what constitutes a marriage. Yet, in all societies, including our own, there are significant differences between sociocultural ideals and social realities. Can polygamy be a positive, rather than a negative, choice?
Synopsis
• Provides an anthropological perspective on marriage and family from a comparative, cross-cultural perspective, positioning polygamy as a widespread family structure, not a sexual practice
• Gives voice to groups affected by plural marriage, seeking ways of integrating them into a society that culturally and historically has stigmatized them
• Discusses the pros without underestimating the cons, examining arguments frequently advanced by opponents of plural marriage, including their opinions on negative consequences like HIV/AIDS and jealousy
• Evaluates evidence that shows that women and children fare no worse in polygamy than in monogamy, and often much better
Synopsis
• Includes an extensive bibliography