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During Soviet rule, the state all but imposed atheism on the primarily Islamic people of Kyrgyzstan and limited the tradition of polygyny - a form of polygamy in which one man has multiple wives. Polygyny did continue under communism, though chiefly under concealment. In the decades since the fall of the Soviet Union, the practice has reemerged. Based on extensive fieldwork, Polygynous Marriages among the Kyrgyz argues that this marriage practice has become socially acceptable and widely dispersed not only because it is rooted in customary law and Islamic practice, but because it can also enable men and women to meet societal expectations and solve practical economic problems that resulted from the fall of the Soviet Union. Michele E. Commercio's analysis suggests the normalization of polygyny among the Kyrgyz in contemporary Kyrgyzstan is due both to institutional change in the form of altered governmental rules and expectations and to institutional endurance in the form of persistent hegemonic constructions of gender.

Polygyny --- Kyrgyz --- Social life and customs

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Gab es Polygynie auch im europäischen Mittelalter, und nicht nur als Überbleibsel aus ‚barbarischer‘ Zeit, als Kulturimport aus dem muslimischen Mittelmeer oder marginal gegenüber der Allgegenwart der (christlichen) Einehe? Dieses Buch stellt der ‚Großerzählung‘ vom monogamen Mittelalter ein anderes Bild gegenüber: „Nicht weil sie lüstern, sondern weil sie Fürsten waren“ umgaben sich viele Mächtige des Hochmittelalters mit mehreren, oft vielen Frauen. Denn mit öffentlich sichtbaren, kommentierten und kolportierten Beziehungen konnten die Männer und Frauen, die diese Beziehungen eingingen, Statements machen, Signale geben, Konsens und Konfrontation ausdrücken. Für die politische Kultur bot die Polygynie ein Arsenal an Möglichkeiten. Um es zu rekonstruieren, werden nicht primär die gängigen, von der kirchlichen Deklassierungsvokabel concubina geprägten lateinischen Quellen aus Kerneuropa untersucht; sondern die Zonen, die in den Volkssprachen über sich Auskunft geben: Nordwesteuropa, Westfrankreich und Spanien. Die Befunde sind aber keine Regionalgeschichte, sondern der Vorschlag, jenseits des wortstarken Monogamismus der üblichen Geschichtsquellen die Vielzahl politisch bedeutsamer Paarbeziehungen als soziales System zu verstehen - und den Platz der ‚Ehe‘ darin. This book looks beyond the ‛grand récit’ of the monogamous Middle Ages. “Not because they were lustful, but because they were princes,” those with power often surrounded themselves with many women. Through such openly visible relationships, the men and women involved could cultivate a public image, send signals, and – not least – engage in politics.

Polygyny --- Political culture --- History --- Europe --- Kings and rulers --- Sexual behavior --- Europe. --- Matrimony. --- Middle Ages. --- Politics.

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"This book looks beyond the 'grand récit' of the monogamous Middle Ages. "Not because they were lustful, but because they were princes, " those with power often surrounded themselves with many women. Through such openly visible relationships, the men and women involved could cultivate a public image, send signals, and - not least - engage in politics"--

Polygamie --- Rois et souverains --- Sexualité --- Polygyny --- Political culture --- Polygynie --- Culture politique --- History --- Histoire --- Europe --- Kings and rulers --- Sexual behavior --- Sexualité

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Orientalism --- Women --- Harems --- History. --- Human females --- Wimmin --- Woman --- Womon --- Womyn --- Females --- Human beings --- Femininity --- Harem --- Polygyny --- East and West --- History

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Why hasn’t polygamous marriage died out in African cities, as experts once expected it would? Enduring Polygamy considers this question in one of Africa’s fastest-growing cities: Bamako, the capital of Mali, where one in four wives is in a polygamous marriage. Using polygamy as a lens through which to survey sweeping changes in urban life, it offers ethnographic and demographic insights into the customs, gender norms and hierarchies, kinship structures, and laws affecting marriage, and situates polygamy within structures of inequality that shape marital options, especially for young Malian women. Through an approach of cultural relativism, the book offers an open-minded but unflinching perspective on a contested form of marriage. Without shying away from questions of patriarchy and women’s oppression, it presents polygamy from the everyday vantage points of Bamako residents themselves, allowing readers to make informed judgments about it and to appreciate the full spectrum of human cultural diversity.

Polygyny --- Religious aspects. --- Bamako (Mali) --- Social conditions --- polygamy, marriage, mali, plural marriage, bamako, culture, tradition, religion, faith, custom, gender, anthropology.