Abstract:

One of the research dogmas about sexualities is the unquestioned assumption that care (as practice) occurs within the family environment or between couples, and everything else that goes beyond the kinship boundaries is proof of individualisation (Roseneil, 2004). These limitations produce an inability to see beyond the expected, especially intimate relationships outside heteronormative cohabitation, enduring love and monogamous conjugality.

Sasha Roseneil (2006) called for further conceptualisations in light of the current heterogeneity of intimate life. Taking her invitation seriously, my presentation intends to provide a theoretical framework on polyamory complemented by some examples of the day-to-day of non-monogamous people I interviewed in Rome in 2015. This presentation is part of the scope of research project “‘INTIMATE. Citizenship, care and choice: the micropolitics of intimacy in Southern Europe’', funded by the ERC for 5 years. The main objective of  INTIMATE is to explore the experiences of conjugalities, parenting and friendship in Italy, Portugal and Spain.

As follows, this workshop will offer some perspectives on the current debate about polyamory, supported both by international literature, where the concept of polyamory emerged, as well as by Southern European references. I will also present the preliminary results of the field work focusing on "labels", meanings and practices of LGBT non-monogamous people who live outside the boundaries of heternormative and mononormative relations (as well as outside the scope of traditional sociological research).

Keywords: LGBT, non-monogamies, Italy, intimacies, relationships

Recommended readings:

Barker, Meg-John, & Langdridge, Darren (2010), "Whatever happened to non-monogamies? Critical reflections on recent research and theory", Sexualities, 13(6): 748–772.

Roseneil, Sasha (2006), “Viver e amar para lá da heteronorma: Uma análise queer das relações pessoais no século XXI”, Revista Crítica de Ciências Sociais, 76: 33-51.

[To access the articles under discussion send an email to gw@ces.uc.pt]

Bio note

Beatrice Gusmano. Research fellow in the project "INTIMATE— Citizenship, Care and Choice: The Micropolitics of Intimacy in Southern Europe" (2014-2019), funded by the European Research Council and coordinated by Ana Cristina Santos.

She defended her PhD dissertation at the University of Trento (Italy) in 2009, with a thesis on the construction and management of non-heterosexual identities at work. She then took part to different research projects regarding LGBT local public policies in Europe and in Italy; work access networks for ex-convicts; bullying and gender education; diversity management.