Intimacy, gender and ethnicity: Non-monogamous relationship dynamics among the Hui in Northwest China

Abstract

<p>This study uses snowball sampling to explore the experiences of intimate and sexual relationships of non-monogamous marriages among the Hui ethnic group in northwestern China. It examines how Islam is socially expressed to culturally validate polygynous relations, and how the discourse of masculinity controls and shapes the definition of non-monogamous intimate relationships. This research suggests that moral and legal explanations for such non-monogamous relationships among the Hui are insufficient, and require an understanding of the intersections between Islam, gender, ethnicity, and sexuality.</p>