Synopses & Reviews
Polygamy and plural marriage have become front-and-center issues in Europe, Canada, and the United States, notably on two religious fronts: among some splinter groups of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and in Islam.
Polygamy in the Monogamous World: Multicultural Challenges for Western Law and Policy takes both groups into account as it provides a careful examination of legal polygamy in non-Western countries and plural unions in North America. Comparing these similar, but legally distinct forms of union, it offers a fresh perspective on how Western countries should respond to these relationships.
Specifically, the book surveys non-Western countries where polygamy is legally practiced, then provides an overview of plural unions in North America. The problems of polygamy and plural unions are examined, including the potential for tne abuse of wives. The responses of Western governments to such relationships are reviewed, and the most effective solutions are identified to ascertain what policies should be adopted going forward.
Review
"This book represents an outstanding contribution to current scholarship addressing the complex and controversial topic of polygamy. Bailey and Kaufman, unmistakable experts on this topic, provide a text of global relevance that challenges readers to look beyond presumptions about polygamous life and to appreciate its cultural, historical, social, legal and spiritual significance in diverse geographic contexts. Painstakingly researched and elegantly written, there is no doubt that Polygamy in the Monogamous World will be an authority of crucial relevance as the debate over plural marriage in the West propels forward." < p="">Angela Campbell, Professor and Director of the Institute of Comparative Law, Faculty of Law, McGill University <>
Review
"Martha Bailey and Amy Kaufman have carefully weighed the potential harms of polygamy and have developed a nuanced and persuasive argument for its decriminalization. Their discussion makes a vital contribution to the debate about polygamy's place in Canadian society." < p="">Lori G. Beaman, Canada Research Chair in the Contextualization of Religion in a Diverse Canada <> < p="">Professor, University of Ottawa <> < p=""> <>
Review
"The practice of polygamous marriage presents an intriguing challenge to modern legal theories and Polygamy in the Monogamous World identifies and analyzes many of those challenges. The bare application of principles of pluralism, diversity, tolerance, family autonomy and individual choice to legal recognition of polygamy often seems incomplete. The concerns of policy makers about polygamy are not insignificant - recurrent incidents of women's inequality, sexual exploitation, abuse of minors, and flouting of other laws remind us that in the twentieth century polygamous communities in modern countries seemed to be breeding grounds for serious social pathologies. Are those concerns still valid today? The implications of the legalization of same-sex marriage for legalization of polygamy (and vice versa) raise important conceptual linkage issues. Bailey and Kaufman's timely anthology contributes to the discussion and provokes further serious inquiries, such as: Is polygamy in the contemporary world just another effect of the pervasiveness of hyper-sexualized images and pornography or a corrective response to those influences?
Is polygamy an agrarian, rural-living marriage system that is not adaptable to industrial and post-industrial societies, or is it an effective expression of post-modern individualism in family law? Is the invigoration of Islamic polygamy just the reluctant last gasp of a pre-modern social organization system of a major world community before it enters the world of global economic, social and cultural intercourse, or is it the pre-cursor of a new way of coping with the pressures of globalism? Scholarly consideration of such issues is well-deserved."
< p="">Lynn D. Wardle, Bruce C. Hafen Professor of Law, J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University <>
Synopsis
This fact-filled book on polygamy and plural unions around the world supports an in-depth consideration of policy options for Western countries.
Polygamy and plural marriage have become front-and-center issues in Europe, Canada, and the United States, notably on two religious fronts: among some splinter groups of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and in Islam. Polygamy in the Monogamous World: Multicultural Challenges for Western Law and Policy takes both groups into account as it provides a careful examination of legal polygamy in non-Western countries and plural unions in North America. Comparing these similar, but legally distinct forms of union, it offers a fresh perspective on how Western countries should respond to these relationships.
Specifically, the book surveys non-Western countries where polygamy is legally practiced, then provides an overview of plural unions in North America. The problems of polygamy and plural unions are examined, including the potential for tne abuse of wives. The responses of Western governments to such relationships are reviewed, and the most effective solutions are identified to ascertain what policies should be adopted going forward.
Synopsis
• Brings together analysis of polygamy in non-Western countries and plural unions in Western countries to provide a broad perspective on this form of relationship
• Discusses both the Mormon version of plural marriage and Islamic ones, examining how they can (or cannot) fit into Western legal, political, and civil traditions
• Highlights problems for women and children in these relationships and maps out possible solutions
• Addresses current, pressing public policy issues related to immigrants who are parties to valid foreign polygamous marriages and to citizens who are flouting the law by entering into illegal plural unions
Synopsis
• A bibliography of significant laws, cases, reports, books, and journal articles about polygamy
Synopsis
This fact-filled book on polygamy and plural unions around the world supports an in-depth consideration of policy options for Western countries.