Monogamy, Polygamy (Part 2) According to my Boyfriend

Within the animal kingdom, of which humans are part, with few exceptions, polygamy is the norm with monogamy being the exception. Indeed it could be argued that from a biological reproduction and evolutionary perspective. Monogamy is completely unnatural as articulated in “The Selfish Gene” a book on evolution by Richard Dawkins, published in 1976. It builds upon the principal theory of George C. Williams's first book “Adaptation and Natural Selection”.

However the selfish gene argument only holds true to heterosexual activity and cannot be applied to homosexual activity, for without heterosexual activity there would be no gene pool and hence, the elimination of a species and from the perspective of biological reproduction homosexual activity itself is unnatural. This “biologically unnatural” argument is often put forward by those who oppose homosexuality.

We have to consider that the concept of monogamy is a relatively modern concept and that its existence is a social construct and should be considered to be culturally, socially, geographical, time and possibly politically specific.

Monogamy was originally reserved as the preserve of north western Christian Europe and North America and was spread throughout the globe through various colonial powers via the process of socialisation, or perhaps assimilation. Further it could be argued that the shift from polygamous to monogamous relationships was a means through which the colonial powers brought about social control and instilled a new social order that was conducive to the colonial powers exercising and maintaining overall control and instilling a new order of social and sexual deviance.

By and large the current prevalence and existence of societies and cultures which still practice and condone polygamy are those that have never undergone colonisation by Christian powers, where Christianity is not the main religion or where it adhered to superficially. Examples of cultures and societies which still practice polygamy are those of the Arab and Muslim worlds and north Saharan Africa. Consider that within the Koran a man may take more than one wife, and within the Masi Mara tribes of Kenya and Tanzania a cohort may share in their husbands and wives in the short term absence of those they are married to.

Essentially it is argued that monogamy is:
• Unnatural
• A tool of colonialism to bring about a new social order
• Restricted to Christian cultures or those that have been colonised by Christian powers
• Time, culturally and geographically specific