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Polygamy in Primetime Janet Bennion

Polygamy in Primetime By Janet Bennion

Polygamy in Primetime by Janet Bennion


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Summary

A provocative look at the costs and benefits of polygamy among western fundamentalist Mormon women

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Polygamy in Primetime Summary

Polygamy in Primetime by Janet Bennion

Recently, polygamy has become a "primetime" phenomenon. Television shows like Big Love and Sister Wives demonstrate the "progressive" side of polygamy, while horror stories from victims of abusive marriages offer less upbeat experiences among the adherents of the fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS Church). Bennion, herself a product of Mormon polygamy, seeks to dispel the myths and misinformation that surround this topic. This study, based on seventeen years of ethnographic research among the Allred Group (Apostolic United Brethren) and on an analysis of recent blog journal entries written by a range of polygamous women, examines the variety and complexity of contemporary Mormon fundamentalist life in the Intermountain West. Although Bennion highlights problems associated with polygamy, including evidence that some forms are at high risk for father-child incest, she challenges the media-driven depiction of plural marriage as uniformly abusive and harmful to women. She shows how polygamist families can provide both economic security and social sustenance for some women, and how the authority of the husband can be undermined by the stresses of providing for multiple wives and children. Going beyond the media's obsession with the sexual aspects of polygamous marriage, Bennion offers a rich description of familial, social, and legal contexts. Throughout, she makes the case for legalizing polygamy in order to allow greater visibility and regulation of the practice.

Polygamy in Primetime Reviews

Polygamy in Primetime responds to [polygamy s] new visibility [in the media] with an overview of the subject that, despite occasional academic language, will appeal to general readers seeking more details than the soap operatics of Big Love can provide. Seven Days (Burlington, VT)"
"Bennion sets the stage for a more detailed analysis of those shows, and media coverage more generally, by embarking on a rich discussion of Mormon theology, history, and belief around the practice of polygamy. . . . Bennion's research offers insight into the myriad ways polygamy is practiced, and her discussion makes artful use of the large body of literature on polygamy." --Nova Religio
"This work is at its core a nuanced and careful consideration of a significant and contentious subject. Bennion successfully complicates lived sexual difference beyond novelty and decanters sexuality as primary identity marker in Mormon fundamentalist families. Polygamy in Primetime offers a rich and careful history and ethnography of marginalized, frequently misunderstood religious minority communities, and as such will be of interest to scholars of gender and sexuality, American religions, American cultural studies, minority religions, new religious movements, and Mormonism." --Mormon Studies Review

About Janet Bennion

JANET BENNION is a professor of anthropology and sociology at Lyndon State College. Her most recent book is Desert Patriarchy: Mormon and Mennonite Communities in the Chihuahua Valley.

Additional information

CIN1611682630G
9781611682632
1611682630
Polygamy in Primetime by Janet Bennion
Used - Good
Paperback
University Press of New England
2012-05-08
376
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

Customer Reviews - Polygamy in Primetime