Mathematics of affections, unicorns and the neoliberal polyamory

moving between non-monogamous controversies

Abstract

On May 18th 2021, two days after the death of the Brazilian singer MC Kevin, the
PhD in education Marília Moschkovich shared on Twitter an article from the newspaper “O
Fórum” with the latest findings on the case. She attributed part of the blame for what had
happened to the monogamous system. Her comment was debated on the most diverse social
media platforms and showed a “disagreement” (RANCIÈRE, 1996) on the subject. This
present paper considers the criticisms made to Marília to present the ways in which the
definition of “monogamy” has been thought by the very members of the non-monogamous
movements in Brazil. In the first part of the text I discuss my connection as a polyamorous
person to the non-monogamous communities on the Facebook platform. Then, I present the
idea of “compulsory monogamy” to think about the debate brought by Marília and also to
present the divergences that exist between the participants of this movement. Finally, I
analyze some initial data derived from my current master's research that deals with the search
for a new love for non-monogamous couples through Facebook and Scruff in order to discuss
the so-called “neoliberal polyamory”.