Enduring Polygamy

"Excellent and very timely. . . . Whitehouse's accessible, superbly argued, and outstandingly well-researched monograph addresses one of the larger omissions in current anthropological studies of marriage—polygamy. The monograph is thus a must-read for anyone interested in marriage, kinship, and gender. Any course on anthropological perspectives on partnership, marriage, and intimacy, like my own, will greatly profit from including this excellent ethnography."— American Ethnologist

"In some wide regions, people deem polygamy a normal, natural option. In others, it’s spurned as an archaic, immoral form of oppression. But if monogamy may be human history’s exception, eyes and minds need opening to polygamy’s enduring pros, cons, and complexities. This collaboratively researched, empathic volume does it superbly."

— Parker Shipton, author of Mortgaging the Ancestors: Ideologies of Attachment in Africa

"In clear and vivid language, Whitehouse carefully unpacks the complex importance of polygamy to everyday life in Mali's growing capital of Bamako. The transparency of Whitehouse's research methods and his consistent foregrounding of Bamakois voices and perspectives makes Enduring Polygamy essential reading in the classroom and beyond."

— Emily Burrill, author of Legislating Gender and Sexuality in Africa: Human Rights, Society, and the State