While in the western world monogamy It is the dominant model, in many other cultures and companies multiple relationships are an accepted and consolidated reality and, in some cases, even regulated by laws or traditions. These relationships can take forms such as the polygamy, a general term to indicate a person married with more than one person, or the Poliamore, in which people have more relationships simultaneously, with everyone’s consent. These models, while sharing the presence of multiple partners, differ in motivations, traditions and social implications, and offer a starting point to reflect on the plurality of emotional and family ties.
Religious origins and roots of polygamy
There polygamy It also has deep roots in religions: in the’Islamfor example, is regulated and allowed in specific cases; in the’ancient Judaism It was present, even if abandoned later; also in Christianity primitive there are sporadic traces of polygamy, but the Catholic Church and the Protestant churches They have forbidden it since the first centuries.
A particular case is that of Mormoni fundamentalists in United States: some communities isolated in the Utah and in Arizona Polyginia still practice today, despite the Official Church of the Saints of the last few days He banned it in the late nineteenth century.
Polygamy in traditional African and Asian societies
In various societies of theAfrica subsaharanthe polygamyand more precisely the polyginiathat is, the possibility for a man to have multiple wiveshas been a consolidated practice for centuries. Among the Masai ofEastern Africa oi Fulani ofWest Africafor example, the marriage Plurimo is often linked to economic, social and family issues.
Have multiple wives In fact, it meant strengthening the alliances between clan and guarantee greater labor agricultural and domestic. Also in some regions of Middle East and of the North Africapolygamy is recognized by Islamic law: according to the Korana man can marry Up to four wivesas long as I treat them all in a fair and right way.
In Asiaforms of polygamy have been practiced in the past between different rural populationseven if their diffusion today has significantly reduced. Modernization, the spread of women’s rights and economic transformations have led many young people to prefer monogamous marriage.
What is polyandry: when the woman has more husbands
Less known and rarer is the polyandrythat is, the possibility for a woman of have more husbands at the same time. This practice still exists in some isolated areas of the Himalayaas in the TibetIn the Ladakh and in some rural areas of Nepal and of theNorthern India. Here, the Poliandria fraternalor the same woman who marries More brothers, it was a way to avoid fragmentation of agricultural properties and guarantee the economic survival of the family in mountain territories where resources had scarce. However, even in these areas the polyandry is slowly disappearing due to cultural changes and of social pressures towards smaller and smaller family models.
How Poliamore works in contemporary societies
Next to these Traditional practicesexist today forms of multiple relationships who do not have a religious bond or legalbut who are based on personal freedom and consent. The polyamorefor example, is a relational model in which more people entertain contemporary emotional and sexual relationships in an open and transparent way. It is not about marriagebut of one choice of life which breaks with the traditional monogamous model. Poliamore is increasingly widespread in large western citiesespecially in North America, Europe and Australiabut also in some urban realities ofLatin and Asia America. Polymorous communities Active are located in the city such as San Francisco, Berlin, Amsterdam and Stockholm, where people claim the right to love more partners simultaneously, in mutual respect and emotional transparency.
Although both practices foresee Relations with multiple partnersthe polygamy and the polyamore They are deeply different concepts. There traditional polygamyIn fact, it often fits into patriarchal societies where only man can have more spouses, while Poliamore is based on equality between the parties, regardless of the genre.
In addition, polygamy is linked to a marriagewhile the polyamore regard affective and sexual relationships not formalized. Today, polygamy tends to decrease in countries that cross urbanization and modernization processes, while polymorous relationships grow in urban contexts where people seek alternative emotional models to the exclusive couple.
If on the one hand some companies maintain theirs Traditional marriage practices For Cultural and religious reasonson the other they emerge new forms of relationship who respond to the need to overcome the limits of monogamy and to live love in a fluid and personalized way. Ultimately, multiple relationships tell us about the extraordinary variety of ways in which we try to build emotional, family and social bonds.
