Dear Maureen, I was just cleaning out my email account from my former institution (Carleton U), when I came across this message from you that I had save two years ago. At the time, the topic was one that I was just beginning to explore, and I have since written two papers on the subject, both grappling with alternative feminist perpectives on the subject ('What's Queer about Polygamy' in Robert Leckey and Kim Brooks, _Queer Theory_ (Routledge 2010); and 'The Racialization of White Man's Polygamy', forthcoming in the next edition of Hypatia). If you ended up working on this subject, I would be grateful to review and discuss your work and/or to get any leads on material that you have found particularly interesting on this subject. My new email address: [log in to unmask] (Sorry, but I just realized that I am sending this one through my old account). Margaret Denike Department of Political Science Dalhousie University Room 301 Henry Hicks Building 6299 South Street Halifax, NS B3H 4H6 Canada Phone: (902) 494-2396 Fax: (902) 494-3825 email: [log in to unmask] ----- Original Message ----- From: "Maureen Sander-Staudt" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Monday, June 16, 2008 6:43 PM Subject: Re: Citations for the ethics of polygamy > Thank you all for the kind responses to my call for teaching resources on > the topics of feminist ethics and polygamy. Several of you have indicated > that you would be interested in the results, so I have pasted a list of > sources below. Please feel free to add this list. I am also interested > in your thoughts about this topic. I have been following the development > of an underground railroad in Arizona that helps young women escape from > the polygamous community of Colorado City, but the recent intervention in > El Dorado, Texas has me conflicted. I question whether polygamy, or more > specifically polygyny, is inherently wrong from a feminist perspective, > but am more willing to affirm that the disparity in the ratio of men to > women is conducive to a host of other more objectionable practices such as > child marriage, forced marriage, reduced epistemic and social autonomy, > incest, etc., especially when coupled with the isolation and patriarchal > epistemic manipulation that charact! > er! > izes these particular communities. However, these are problems that can > arise in non-polygamous marriages, and I struggle to "apprentice" myself > to the perspective of these women. While authorities would hopefully > investigate any charge of child rape, the power to take away children is a > grave one that is often leveraged against "deviant" and vulnerable women. > Our society is also inconsistent in not as vehemently condemning the > practice of non-marital polygamous co-habitation, and ignoring the rampant > level of child abuse, child rape, child porn, child murder, etc. in the so > called "normal" society. What do the rest of you think about the Texas > intervention and subsequent return of most of the children? Cheers, > Maureen > > > > Esland, David and Nussbaum, Martha. (ed.s) Sex Preference, and Family: > Essays on > > Law and Nature (New York: Oxford University Press) 1997. > > Galston, William. Public Matters: Politics, Policy, and Religion in the > 21st Century. > > (Boulder, CO: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers) 2005. > > Joseph, Elizabeth. "My Husband's Nine Wives". NY Times, Op-ed, May 23, > 1991, A31 > > -------------"Polygamy Now!" From a speech given at the Utah Chapter of > National > > Organization of Women. Printed in Harper's Magazine. Feb. > 1998, 26-28. > > Solomon, Dorothy Allred. Predators, Prey, and Other Kinfolk: Growing Up > in > > Polygamy. (New York: WW Norton & Co.) 2003. > > Song, Sarah. Justice, Gender, and the Politics of Multiculturalism. (New > York, > > Cambridge University Press) 2007. > > Warenski, Mary. Patriarchs and Politics: The Plight of Mormon Women. > (San > > Francisco: McGraw Publishers. > > Nancy Rosenblum's "Democratic Sex: Reynolds v. US" in Nussbaum and > Estlund's _Sex Preference and the Family: Essays on Law and Nature > > > > Cheshire Calhoun, Who's Afraid of Polygamous Marriage? Lessons for > Same-Sex Marriage > Advocacy from the History of Polygamy, 42 SAN DIEGO L. REV. 1023 (2005) > > > > a segment of NPR's This American Life on polygamy. > > > > URL: http://thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=99 > > > > EPISODE 99: I enjoy Being a Girl, Sort Of > > > > > Women of Principle: Female Networking in Contemporary Mormon Polygyny > > > By Janet Bennion > > > > Corvino, J. "Homosexuality and the PIB Argument." > > > > > Maureen Sander-Staudt Ph.D. > Assistant Professor of Philosophy > Dept. of Integrative Studies > Arizona State University > PO Box 37100 Mail Code 3051 > (602) 543-6507 > fax (602) 543-6004 > > >