Description
Book SynopsisSlaves, mistresses, concubines – the English courts have used these terms to describe polygamous wives in the past, but are they still seen this way today? Using a critical postcolonial feminist lens, this book provides a contextualized exploration of English legal responses to polygamy. Through the legacies of British imperialism, the book shows how attitudes to polygamy are shaped by indifference and hostility towards its participants. This goes beyond the law, as shown by the stories of women shared throughout the book negotiating their identities and relationships in the UK today. Through its analysis, the book demonstrates how polygamy and polygamous wives are subjected to imperialist and orientalist discourses which dehumanise them for practising a relationship that has existed for millennia.
Table of Contents1. Introduction: Polygamy, Law and Women’s Lives 2. Consciousness and Disruption in Critical Postcolonial Feminism 3. Polygamy in England: Tracing Legal Developments 4. History and Conflict of Laws in Overseas Polygamy 5. Tensions in Religion and Culture 6. Complicating Harm and Gender Equality 7. Religion, Recognition and Marriage Law 8. Final Thoughts and Reflections
