Polyamory in Paris: A social network theory application

Abstract

Multiple sexual partnerships can be viewed as networks in order to assess the nature of links between lovers and metamours (lover’s lovers) as well as the larger population. In such non-monogamous networks, where participants share sex, friendship, ideas, and economic resources, there exists a vast web of nodes connected in much more intimate and complex ways than one finds in the mono-normative landscape. This study explored gender dynamics in network centrality on a sample of 62 polyamorists in Paris, France using participant-observation, informal and structured interviews, and social network analysis. Though evolutionary psychology and pornographic film tend to reinforce heteronormative stereotypes of males as central social actors with multiple sexual partners and women as sexually passive, feminist theorists have argued for a more “agentic female sexual subjectivity”. My data showed that cis- and trans-women, with a strong sense of family and skills in interpersonal communication, score highest on network metrics of density/degree, homophily, indirectedness, and transitivity. The network data also indicate high modularity and endogamy with clustering tendencies for both cis-men and cis- and trans-women linked to kink, atypical intelligence, sexual and gender non-conformity, and mitigating factors of socioeconomic advantage and racial privilege.

Swedish poly utopia: Dreams, revolutions, and crushed hopes

“…The concept of a relationship anarchy was developed by the Swede Andie Nordgren in the 2000s (Nordgren, 2012) to emphazise non-hierarchical relationship models, where there are no definitive lines drawn between friendships and intimate relationships. According to Bennion (2020: 20), ‘Relationship anarchy is about designing your own commitments with people around you with emphasis on consent, respect, and ultimate freedom’. Her definition of relationship anarchy agrees well with how our interviewees view anarchy in connection to relationships.…”

“…Extending the work of queer, feminist and critical-race scholars on connections between normativity and power and privilege, Schippers (2016) turns a critical lens on mononormativity, showing how monogamy is taken for granted as a key component of 'good' romantic and sexual relationships in US society. Several studies have discussed overlaps and interconnections with other marginalized practices of identity, such as BDSM (Bauer, 2010;Carlström and Andersson, 2019;Pitagora, 2016), geeky/gamer communities (Bennion, 2020) and asexuality (Scherrer, 2010).…”

A scoping review of research on polyamory and consensual non‐monogamy: Implications for a more inclusive family science

“…While interest in CNM cooled within family science, it grew steadily within other disciplines, with a particular surge of scholarship since the turn of the century (Bennion, 2022;Rubinsky, 2020;St. Vil et al, 2021).…”

“You enjoy being a second class citizen”: Unicorn dynamics and identity negotiation on subreddit r/polyamory

“…intersect with this relationship identity and influence motivations for polyamory PR and in-group/out-group distinctions. Polyamorists demonstrate a tendency toward sub-group exclusivity based on multiple identity differences in polyamorous relationship networks, including preference for kink, type of intelligence, sexual and gender conformity levels, socioeconomic status, and racial privilege (Bennion, 2020). As a strategic identity, communities for polyamorous people become social locations for political, social and interpersonal agendas which operate under the surveillance of the more powerful culture of monogamy.…”