2021 Rose Olver Student Research Fund Winner

Image
Lisa Zheutlin
Lisa Zheutlin '22

Double-major in Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies and Art and the History of Art


Research Project: 

Lisa is interested in exploring the theoretical aspects of anti-monogamy and how applying the anti-monogamy framework could counter heterosexual institutions (like marriage) and the general organization of society. Some preliminary questions Lisa has in thinking about this are: Are platonic love and romantic love different? Is the sexual component the only difference? Why do we structure society around this heterosexual ideal of marriage and how does the anti-monogamy framework queer that? Also, how do queer sexualities fit into the heterosexual institution of marriage and/or challenge it? What alternative forms of belonging, partnership, and community does the anti-monogamy framework inspire and how can we reimagine marriage and monogamy? Lisa plans to take an interdisciplinary approach with a focus on queer and feminist theories pertaining to monogamy, marriage, couple-centrism and compulsory heterosexuality to examine the social effects of this couple-centrism in society, how we got here, and what alternate possibilities exist.