The privilege of perversities: race, class and education among polyamorists and kinksters

Sheff, Elisabeth; Hammers, Corie J.

doi:10.1080/19419899.2010.537674

Cited by 118 publications

(75 citation statements)

References 57 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Across two studies, our findings provide insight into general perceptions about a type of CNM relationship that is attracting increasing attention in the empirical literature Mitchell et al, 2013;Morrison et al, 2013;Sheff, 2014;Sheff & Hammers, 2011). Nonetheless, it is important to recognise some limitations.…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…Research on individuals in polyamorous relationships could also become more generalizable by exploring the ways in which polyamory and other CNM relationships intersect with other social stratification variables, such as race, class, education and (dis)ability (e.g., Barker & Langdridge, 2010;Haritaworn et al, 2006;Noel, 2006;Sheff & Hammers, 2011). The current view of polyamory that dominates the literature is overrepresented by White/European-American, upper middle-class, able-bodied and educated individuals (Noel, 2006;Sheff, 2014).…”

Section: Implications and Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 94%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Three’s a crowd: public awareness and (mis)perceptions of polyamory

Hutzler

Giuliano

Herselman

et al. 2015

Psychology & Sexuality

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In order to extend the literature on consensual nonmonogamy, we conducted two studies that examined public awareness and perceptions of polyamory. Specifically, we identified individual differences that predict people's attitudes towards polyamory and also explored whether manipulations grounded in prejudice-reduction theory might lead to more positive perceptions. In both studies, individuals reporting more traditional traits (e.g. political conservatism and religiosity) had more negative attitudes towards polyamory. In addition, participants' prior exposure to polyamory (i.e. familiarity with the term polyamory or knowing someone polyamorous) was positively related to attitudes towards polyamory, consistent with Allport's contact hypothesis. Finally, an experimental manipulation revealed that participants who either received additional information about polyamory (consistent with the notion that increased knowledge about outgroups can reduce prejudice; Pettigrew & Tropp) or were asked to consider the advantages and limitations of monogamy (consistent with value selfconfrontation theory; Rokeach) exhibited more positive attitudes towards polyamory than did participants who only received a standard definition of polyamory. As our results represent some of the first empirical findings on perceptions of polyamory, implications for addressing the stigmatisation of this relationship style are discussed.

show abstract

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 78%

Section: Implications and Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 94%

Three’s a crowd: public awareness and (mis)perceptions of polyamory

Hutzler

Giuliano

Herselman

et al. 2015

Psychology & Sexuality

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Williams, 2010); class issues and privilege broadly (Haritaworn et al, 2006;Klesse, 2013); neoliberalism (Woltersdorff, 2011); therapy issues and alternative approaches (e.g. Barker, 2011;Keppel, 2006;Weitzman, 2006); communal living (Aguilar, 2013); the criminalisation of plural unions (Barnett, 2013); and kink (Sheff & Hammers, 2011). There is also some work devoted to general discussions of the dynamics of open non-monogamies (e.g.…”

Section: Spectres Of Promiscuity: Gay Male and Bisexual Non-monogamiementioning

confidence: 98%

The Palgrave Handbook of the Psychology of Sexuality and Gender

Richards¹,

Barker²

2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Previous research on American BDSM participants, such as Newmahr's (2011) and Sheff and Hammers's (2011), has sometimes observed that there are many Pagans within the BDSM subculture; however, this research has almost always treated the presence of Pagans in the BDSM scene as almost coincidental rather than stemming from some more socially meaningful overlap between the two subcultures. Zussman and Pierce (1998:35) were the only observers to suggest a deeper connection, concluding their article with a short paragraph offering the tantalizing observation that modern Paganism "is beginning to provide a historical and mythological context and validation for S/M, bondage and fetish play."…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“It's All About the Journey”: Skepticism and Spirituality in the BDSM Subculture

Fennell

2018

Sociological Forum

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Previous research on BDSM (bondage & discipline, dominance & submission, sadism & masochism) subcultures has largely ignored the spiritual aspects of BDSM for participants. Drawing primarily from my years of experience and participant observation as an insider in the DC/Baltimore BDSM pansexual community and 70 interviews conducted with self‐identified kinksters throughout the Mid‐Atlantic United States, as well as a convenience sample (n >1,100) survey of American and Canadian kinksters, I show that the BDSM subculture, as a noncriminal deviant subculture, provides a hospitable social environment for cultivating the “lived religious” (Wilcox ) experiences of this mostly agnostic/atheist and Pagan group. Nearly half of all American and Canadian kinksters who are heavily involved say they sometimes engage in BDSM for spiritual fulfillment. Many kinksters demonstrate discomfort with the more mystical aspects of this spirituality, and often adopt an epistemic stance I call post‐rational to reluctantly acknowledge mystical experiences within a preferred framework of scientific and rational knowledge. Nonetheless, interviewees described spiritually connective, transcendental, and cathartic experiences from their BDSM practices. Further research is recommended on the spiritual experiences of religious “nones,” the social construction of catharsis, and potential applicability of a post‐rational stance to contexts such as alternative medicine.

show abstract

The privilege of perversities: race, class and education among polyamorists and kinksters

Cited by 118 publications

References 57 publications

Three’s a crowd: public awareness and (mis)perceptions of polyamory

Three’s a crowd: public awareness and (mis)perceptions of polyamory

The Palgrave Handbook of the Psychology of Sexuality and Gender

“It's All About the Journey”: Skepticism and Spirituality in the BDSM Subculture

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About