ABSTRACT
This chapter provides material for future historians in asking whether polyamory represents the future of love. It explains why polyamory may seem in step with our time, only to urge caution. Polyamory means ‘many loves’. Polyamorous people accept what many people deny, which is that romantic love, like love for family or friends, is not inherently dyadic or exclusive. In resisting the idea that openness to new love must be terminal to the old, polyamory can seem like a ‘solution’ to the erosion of monogamy in societies which still value love. The practical embrace of this solution also generates its own appealing possibilities. Polyamory also resonates with broader shifts of social values. People are increasingly aware that romantic relationships can be restrictive. Generations of feminists contested the domination of women, their exclusion from the public sphere, and the neglect of their interests and desires.
