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Family & Relationships Love & Romance

Love's Refraction

Jealousy and Compersion in Queer Women's Polyamorous Relationships

by (author) Jillian Deri

Publisher
University of Toronto Press
Initial publish date
Mar 2015
Category
Love & Romance, Lesbian Studies, Gender Studies, Marriage & Family, General
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781442624573
    Publish Date
    Mar 2015
    List Price
    $24.95
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781442628694
    Publish Date
    Mar 2015
    List Price
    $32.95
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781442637092
    Publish Date
    Mar 2015
    List Price
    $63.00

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Description

Popular wisdom might suggest that jealousy is an inevitable outcome of non-monogamous relationships. In Love’s Refraction, Jillian Deri explores the distinctive question of how and why polyamorists – people who practice consensual non-monogamy – manage jealousy. Her focus is on the polyamorist concept of “compersion” – taking pleasure in a lover’s other romantic and sexual encounters.

By discussing the experiences of queer, lesbian, and bisexual polyamorous women, Deri highlights the social and structural context that surrounds jealousy. Her analysis, making use of the sociology of emotion and feminist intersectionality theory, shows how polyamory challenges traditional emotional and sexual norms.

Clear and concise, Love’s Refraction speaks to both the academic and the polyamorous community. Deri lets her interviewees speak for themselves, linking academic theory and personal experiences in a sophisticated, engaging, and accessible way.

About the author

Jillian Deri received her PhD in Sociology from Simon Fraser University.

Jillian Deri's profile page

Editorial Reviews

‘Deri gives the reader great insight into ‘polyamorous practice”… She does an excellent job of reporting people’s experiences.’

PsycCritiques vol 61:04:2016