Polygamous Families in Contemporary Society

ISBN-13: 9780521567312 / Angielski / Miękka / 1996 / 532 str.

Irwin Altman; Joseph Ginat; Sterling M. McMurrin

Opis

In this intriguing book, social psychologist Irwin Altman and anthropologist Joseph Ginat examine husband-wife and wife-wife relationships in contemporary Mormon polygamous families. The authors describe how husbands and wives in plural families cope with their complex lifestyle in various facets of everyday life, including courtship, weddings, honeymoons, adjustments to a new life, living arrangements, and the husband's rotation among wives. Other topics include budget and resource management, psychological attachments to homes, and the social-emotional relationships among family members. This pioneering, comprehensive analysis of life in modern day Mormon polygamous families uses first-hand interviews and observations to describe this unusual family lifestyle. It adds to our understanding of close relationships and complements knowledge on other modern relationship forms, such as single-parent families, blended families, and cohabitating partners. This is important reading for researchers in social psychology, anthropology, and religious studies. Lay readers will also find the subject matter to be fascinating.

Recenzje

'An exhaustive, fine piece of scholarship; it is timely and should be read with great interest - not just by scholars but by the wider educated public as well.' Philip Kilbride, author of Plural Marriage for Our Times

Spis treści

1. Introduction; Part I. Historical Background: 2. Mormon history 1830–1890: the early years; 3. Contemporary fundamentalist movements; 4. The people and their communities; Part II. Early Stages of Relationships: 5. Deciding to add a new wife to a family; 6. Courtship; 7. Wedding and marriage ceremonies; 8. Honeymoons; 9. Adjusting to a new marriage; Part III. Home Environments of Plural Families: 10. Living arrangements; 11. Wives and homes; 12. Husbands and homes; Part IV. Managing Everyday Life: 13. The rotation process: husbands and wives alone together; 14. Budget and resource management; 15. Celebrations; Part V. Social-Emotional Relationships: 16. Social-emotional relationships of husbands and wives; 17. Relationships between wives; 18. Family structure; 19. Parents and children; 20. Summing up; Appendices.