The Dilemmas of Monogamy: Pleasure, Discipline and the Pentecostal Moral Self in the Republic of Benin

Quiroz, Sitna

doi:10.3390/rel7080102

The Dilemmas of Monogamy: Pleasure, Discipline and the Pentecostal Moral Self in the Republic of Benin

Quiroz, Sitna

Authors

Dr Sitna Quiroz Uria sitna.quiroz@durham.ac.uk
Assistant Professor

Abstract

Based on ethnographic research in the Republic of Benin, this article explores how Pentecostal teachings on marriage and the management of sexual pleasure contribute to shaping converts’ moral selves. For Pentecostals, fidelity towards God, when single and fidelity between partners, once married, is presented as the ideal model of partnership to which every “Born-Again” should aspire. In the context where polygamous unions are socially accepted, Pentecostal pastors teach that a satisfactory sexual life restricted to marriage is the means of building successful monogamous unions. However, sexual satisfaction might not always guarantee marital success, especially when people face problems of infertility. The author suggests that the disciplinary regimes that these teachings promote contribute to shaping new modes of intimacy, which are compatible with societal changes but often contradict the extant social norms and ideals of reproduction. Moral dilemmas arising from this tension are the key to understanding how Pentecostal Christianity shapes the moral self. The article addresses how Pentecostals in Benin navigate and negotiate cultural continuities and discontinuities in relation to church authority and family life.

Citation

Quiroz, S. (2016). The Dilemmas of Monogamy: Pleasure, Discipline and the Pentecostal Moral Self in the Republic of Benin. Religions, 7(8), Article 102. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel7080102

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Aug 2, 2016
Online Publication Date	Aug 8, 2016
Publication Date	Aug 8, 2016
Deposit Date	Aug 9, 2016
Publicly Available Date	Sep 14, 2016
Journal	Religions
Publisher	MDPI
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	7
Issue	8
Article Number	102
DOI	https://doi.org/10.3390/rel7080102

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Copyright Statement
© 2016 by the author; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).