Research
Research Topics
My research interests fall within the realm of Sex and Gender, Sexualities, and Culture.
More specifically, my research questions grapple with intimate relationships and monogamy. My concentration in these topics are multifaceted. I focus on how culture influences monogamy (contemporarily and historically). I see that legacies of colonialism, racism, and the media as being significant parts of the story. Additionally, I am interested in broad trends of people’s adoption of non-monogamy and individual accounts of non-monogamous practices and beliefs.
Why do individuals say they do or do not participate in monogamous practices? Are there gendered and racialized patterns?
Do we witness strict monogamy among white European colonizers? How can we understand the overlap of religious and colonial dogma in regards to compulsory monogamy? Are early European religions alone in their culture of monogamy?
Do individuals understand monogamy as a colonial legacy?
Why do people choose to practice (non-)monogamy? What are some of the struggles they face?
Should we condemn the practice of monogamy if people are content with it?
Why are some groups more or less likely to reject monogamy and adopt non-monogamous practices/beliefs?
Are there patterns with how people are non-monogamous? When people open up their relationship, who are they bringing in?
Questions
What I am reading right now…
Plemons, Eric. The Look of a Woman: Facial feminization surgery and the aims of trans-medicine. Duke University Press, 2017.
Ward, Jane. Respectably queer: Diversity culture in LGBT activist organizations. Vanderbilt University Press, 2008.
Schippers, Mimi. Beyond monogamy: Polyamory and the future of polyqueer sexualities. Vol. 13. NYU Press, 2016.
Comella, Lynn. Vibrator nation: How feminist sex-toy stores changed the business of pleasure. Duke University Press, 2017.
Book covers were taken from Google.