- Paperback: 1556 pages
- Publisher: Bergin & Garvey (October 1994)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0897893158
- ISBN-13: 978-0897893152
- Product Dimensions: 23.5 x 15.6 x 1.2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 263 g
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #589,964 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
Review
?The title of this book summarizes its contents. After briefly surveying several kinds of polygamy (polygyny, polyandry, group marriage) in various cultures, historical epochs, and religions, Kilbride asks if some versions of plural marriage might be viable in our time. A short, well-balanced, thoughtful primer for readers of all levels.?-Choice
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Book Description
Polygyny, or one man having several wives, is the preferred marriage pattern in most parts of the nonwestern world, although most men cannot afford more than one wife. Polyandry, in which one woman has more than one husband, is quite rare in its classic form. Various types of plural marriage such as these are surfacing in western countries as viable alternatives and positive options to economic and spiritual crisis. Kilbride explores these new varieties of family as he finds them in the United States among Mormons, African Americans, and New Age spiritual communes. His comparisons with European and African practices shed light on the renewed possibility of security and caregiving for our dependent generation who are at risk and who are suffering from fractured family relationships around the globe.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
Upon my return to Pennsylvania from a one-year sabbatical in the Los Angeles area in fall 1992, many of my friends asked me whether life in California was enjoyable, whether I would like to return, how it compared with life in Pennsylvania, and so on. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Upon my return to Pennsylvania from a one-year sabbatical in the Los Angeles area in fall 1992, many of my friends asked me whether life in California was enjoyable, whether I would like to return, how it compared with life in Pennsylvania, and so on. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
There are no customer reviews yet on Amazon.ca
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.0 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Thought Provoking, Jan 18 2001
By James R. Fleckenstein "navalgamer" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Plural Marriage for Our Times: A Reinvented Option? (Paperback)
Dr. Kilbride's well-researched analysis of the practice of plural marriage is an important step toward rethinking our outlook on how people are "supposed to" relate. His extensive background in polygamy as it is practiced in African cultures is both an asset and a liability, unfortunately. By focussing too greatly on the African experience, he lessens the value of his work to Western readers. His personal ambivalence shows through at times, too, especially in the mildness of his "advocacy" near the end. Still, he looks at this "taboo" approach to relating from the sociological, biological, and ethical/religious views, and helps knock down some of the preconceived notions about the "preeminence" of monogamy.Despite Dr. Kilbride's "circumspection" in his recommendations, this book is well worth reading for both the academic and general public with an interest in alternatives to conventional monogamy in response to the dramatically changed social, political, and economic circumstances of the 21st century.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Provocative and enlightening, Feb 8 2008
By Serena Nanda "bookworm" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Plural Marriage for Our Times: A Reinvented Option? (Paperback)
Kilbride's book is both interesting and provocative. In the best anthropological fashion, Kilbride uses an examination of cultural patterns in other societies to get us to think more profoundly and objectively about our own society. He has to be admired for taking on a very tough issue, polygamy, or plural wives, something most Americans have a definitely negative attitude toward. That's partly why Kilbride wrote the book, to get people to rethink not just polygamy, but what the insistence on monogamy, with its 50% divorce rate, is doing to American children. Challenge yourself: meet Kilbride's arguments with rational rebuttal. The book is not over long and would be a great read in a wide range of social science classes.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Informative, but not an enjoyable read..., Aug 8 2010
By T. Greene "Shadow" - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Plural Marriage for Our Times: A Reinvented Option? (Paperback)
This is perhaps one of the most informative books which I have read on this topic. It is filled with exact references and examples, complete w/ citings that can be further researched by the reader.There are two major drawbacks with this book. First off it reads like an academic dissertation or thesis work. It is slow and tedious for the reader. If you are looking for something to read in your spare time for fun only, you will be disappointed. If you are looking for "just the facts", this is your book.
Secondly, as stated above, it seems that the author's primary focus is African tribal practice. I was hoping for a little more Western (or perhaps modern) references. However many of his tribal examples were enlightening.
Overall, if you are really wanting a factual writing on this topic, Buy It.
If you are wanting something to pass the time at beach, Pass.
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
