Are The polygmy and polyamory the same ?
- Thread starter lennie
- Start date
Polygamy is the practise of having multiple spouses. Marriage, whether legal or not, is key. Polyamory is the practise of having multiple loving relationships, which may or may not be marriage-like in nature. In a polygamous relationship, it is not uncommon for there to be a 'one-way' direction or inequality in who is free to have multiple spouses (i.e. a man may have multiple wives, which is a subtype of polygamy called polygyny, or a woman may have multiple husbands, which is a subtype of polygamy called polyandry). In a polyamorous relationship members of that relationship are typically all free to form romantic attachments to whoever they wish. Polygamy has close associations with some (oppressive?) religions; polyamory has no particular religious ties.
Hope that helps.
Hope that helps.
Hi lennie,
It really depends on how you define "a marriage." In most cases people consider "polygamy" to involve multiple *legal* marriages, and in fact, "polygamy" usually connotes polygyny (patriarchal polygyny).
Polyamory comes in many shapes and sizes; one of those is multiple marriagelike relationships that don't purport to be legal marriages. But polyamory can also indicate multiple relationships that aren't marriagelike at all.
I know it sounds complicated, but that's about the best I can do to explain it.
Sincerely,
Kevin T.
It really depends on how you define "a marriage." In most cases people consider "polygamy" to involve multiple *legal* marriages, and in fact, "polygamy" usually connotes polygyny (patriarchal polygyny).
Polyamory comes in many shapes and sizes; one of those is multiple marriagelike relationships that don't purport to be legal marriages. But polyamory can also indicate multiple relationships that aren't marriagelike at all.
I know it sounds complicated, but that's about the best I can do to explain it.
Sincerely,
Kevin T.
Spork
Active member
Also bear in mind that the language is still evolving, right along with people's understanding of it.
My personal take:
Looking at the word bits...
Word front bits:
poly- (more than a pair, "many")
mono- (one, as in a pair where each person has one partner)
a- (none, not, no thanks)
bi- (binary, in this case male/female)
hetero- (different from, opposite)
homo- (same as)
pan- (any, all, in this case, no discrimination based upon gender)
demi- (used to denote attraction only to one for whom you've got an emotional bond)
sapio- (intellect, as in attraction to intelligence)
mis- (hatred or dislike, bias against)
Word back bits:
-sexual (to denote sexual preference)
-amorous (to describe love habits)
-gymy (related to marriage, pairing, partnering "officially"...?)
-gyny (as relates to women in a relationship structure)
-andry (as relates to men in a relationship structure)
-platonic (relating as friends)
-romantic (relating to love/romance...not necessarily sex)
-phile (used to indicate a focused love or fetishization of the subject, which tends to be the word prefix)
Anyone got more? I'd love to see more! I like playing with word bits.
Now some of these word bits are more commonly used with particular other word bits, but I can see us reaching a point where they get tacked together as needed by anyone who sees fit to do so.
So. Polygamy. Indicates or implies that marriage is involved. Or at least a more formalized and family style of poly relating, and often affiliated with the religious practice. OK.
Polyamory is understandably at least in part an effort to differentiate from that, as well as being a far more flexible and consent-focused (rather than coercive) than polygamy is perceived to generally be.
Hm. I would presently describe myself, in terms of not only what I am doing in life, but what I'm open to doing in the foreseeable future:
Monosexual, possibly monogamous.
Polyamorous
Panplatonic
Biromantic
Sapiophile!
And that would mean that I am sexually exclusive and would consider marriage with one person, but I LOVE many people, will be friends with anyone and everyone, might develop romantic crushes on men or women, and am turned on by intelligence.
Play with it! It's cool, there's no language police. The worst that can happen is a minor argument over semantics on the internet. *shrug*
My personal take:
Looking at the word bits...
Word front bits:
poly- (more than a pair, "many")
mono- (one, as in a pair where each person has one partner)
a- (none, not, no thanks)
bi- (binary, in this case male/female)
hetero- (different from, opposite)
homo- (same as)
pan- (any, all, in this case, no discrimination based upon gender)
demi- (used to denote attraction only to one for whom you've got an emotional bond)
sapio- (intellect, as in attraction to intelligence)
mis- (hatred or dislike, bias against)
Word back bits:
-sexual (to denote sexual preference)
-amorous (to describe love habits)
-gymy (related to marriage, pairing, partnering "officially"...?)
-gyny (as relates to women in a relationship structure)
-andry (as relates to men in a relationship structure)
-platonic (relating as friends)
-romantic (relating to love/romance...not necessarily sex)
-phile (used to indicate a focused love or fetishization of the subject, which tends to be the word prefix)
Anyone got more? I'd love to see more! I like playing with word bits.
Now some of these word bits are more commonly used with particular other word bits, but I can see us reaching a point where they get tacked together as needed by anyone who sees fit to do so.
So. Polygamy. Indicates or implies that marriage is involved. Or at least a more formalized and family style of poly relating, and often affiliated with the religious practice. OK.
Polyamory is understandably at least in part an effort to differentiate from that, as well as being a far more flexible and consent-focused (rather than coercive) than polygamy is perceived to generally be.
Hm. I would presently describe myself, in terms of not only what I am doing in life, but what I'm open to doing in the foreseeable future:
Monosexual, possibly monogamous.
Polyamorous
Panplatonic
Biromantic
Sapiophile!
And that would mean that I am sexually exclusive and would consider marriage with one person, but I LOVE many people, will be friends with anyone and everyone, might develop romantic crushes on men or women, and am turned on by intelligence.
Play with it! It's cool, there's no language police. The worst that can happen is a minor argument over semantics on the internet. *shrug*
Bluebird
Well-known member
I consider myself a polyamorous polygamist. I love many, and I have two husbands. You could definitely make an argument that calling myself a polyamorous polygynist would be a better label, but since polygynist isn't a term many people are familiar with, I go with the more recognized descriptor.
AzureKnight
New member
The other responses seem to answer Lennie's question well.
I wanted to respond to Spork:
Additional Prefixes:
Allo- (as in allosexual -- any person who is not asexual, demisexual, or gray-asexual, etc.)
Cis- (as in cisgendered -- denoting or relating to a person whose self-identity conforms with the gender that corresponds to their biological sex; not transgender.
Gray- (as in gray-asexual -- a person who: doesn’t normally experience sexual attraction but may have in a few isolated instances (rarely).
You can probably mine identity terminology glossary pages for more prefixes and stems. Here are a couple I refer back to on occasion:
http://sexualfluidityproject.tumblr.com/Terminology
https://thethinkingasexual.wordpress.com/identity-attraction-relationship-terms/
I've been curious if there's a way to have a "identity generator" that you answer questions, and it gives you a string of terms that seem to apply to you and then you adjust as you see fit -- and in response to change.
I wanted to respond to Spork:
Additional Prefixes:
Allo- (as in allosexual -- any person who is not asexual, demisexual, or gray-asexual, etc.)
Cis- (as in cisgendered -- denoting or relating to a person whose self-identity conforms with the gender that corresponds to their biological sex; not transgender.
Gray- (as in gray-asexual -- a person who: doesn’t normally experience sexual attraction but may have in a few isolated instances (rarely).
You can probably mine identity terminology glossary pages for more prefixes and stems. Here are a couple I refer back to on occasion:
http://sexualfluidityproject.tumblr.com/Terminology
https://thethinkingasexual.wordpress.com/identity-attraction-relationship-terms/
I've been curious if there's a way to have a "identity generator" that you answer questions, and it gives you a string of terms that seem to apply to you and then you adjust as you see fit -- and in response to change.
Last edited:
IndieSolo
Active member
No, Bluebird, calling you a polygynist would only work if you had multiple female partners. Your having multiple male partners means we'd call you a polyandrist.You could definitely make an argument that calling myself a polyamorous polygynist would be a better label, but since polygynist isn't a term many people are familiar with, I go with the more recognized descriptor.
-andry = men
-gyny = women
"Polygamy" is more often used to refer to codified forms of multiple marriage (especially those with a traditional/religious basis), while "modern polyamory" or "egalitarian polyamory" implies a relationship defined by negotiation between its members, rather than by cultural norms.