The Politics of Sister Wives: is Polygyny Misogynistic?
Jimmy Grissman
Faculty mentor: Rebecca Root
Ramapo College of New Jersey
In modern America, individual perceptions about polygamy are heavily influenced by reality television. Since polygamy is unlawful and uncommon, the sole source of regular information the American public receives about the topic is through splices of edited recordings. Polygamy is turned into a spectacle that viewers are encouraged to engage with through a one-sided interaction. This paper compares the representation of polygamy in reality television and anthropological studies. Throughout this paper, I attempt to answer the question of whether polygyny is inherently misogynistic. Scholarly research contradicts the dominant way polygamy is perceived by showing that there is no universal polygamous experience. From an anthropological perspective, reality shows hide the reasons behind polygamy's existence and present it as a form of cultural inversion, rather than an international phenomenon.
Jimmy Grissman is a junior international studies major with a minor in Spanish. He works on campus as Editor of the Ramapo Journal of Law and Society and as a Resident Assistant.