The 5th Non-Monogamies and Contemporary Intimacies (NMCI) Conference is approaching.
Non-monogamies have become established as a field of reflection, research, and practice that challenge traditional norms and propose other ways of organizing affective and intimate relationships. We are living in times in which ways of relating and transforming intimacies have been increasingly debated in different spheres: in the sciences, in social movements, in states, in the media, in the arts, in cultures, and in internet spaces. In this scenario, the creation of encounters that enable the exchange of experiences and critical knowledge becomes fundamental for sharpening and broadening the debate on the impacts and possibilities of non-monogamies in the contemporary world.
The NMCI Conference was created in response to the need to establish spaces for discussion on these issues in different countries, bringing together academics, artists, activists, and other people involved in research, policies, and arts practices related to non-monogamies and contemporary modes of intimacy.
The Conference takes place every two years and has been held in different parts of the world. The first took place in Lisbon (NOVA University of Lisbon) in 2015; the second in Vienna (Sigmund Freud University) in2017; the third in Barcelona (Universität Pompeu Fabra, Civic Center Pati Llimona, and Sala Apolo) in 2019; the fourth took place online in the context of the pandemic in 2021 and in-person in Valparaíso, Chile (Universidad de Valparaíso), in 2023. This fifth edition of the conference will be held in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro), Praia Vermelha campus, in 2025.
In Brazil, non-monogamies discussions have been expanding since the beginning of the 21st century. Social groups articulate with the experiences and concepts of relações livres (free relationships) and polyamory, mainly, have contributed to promoting non-monogamous relationships as an important issue on the public debate agenda. Since then, the number of people with non-monogamous practices and identities has grown, and collectives that seek to reflect on their own realities and rethink new forms of affection and sexuality are expanding throughout the national territory.
Brazil has occupied a prominent place in discussions about non-monogamy, mainly due to legal disputes related to the recognition of “polyamorous” civil unions, which began in 2012 and were prohibited in 2018 by the National Council of Justice (CNJ).
In 2020, amid the intensification of public discussions, the research group “Não-mono: Non-Monogamous Politics, Affections, and Sexualities” (CNPq) was created and now is responsible for organizing the 5th NMCI. The group brings together researchers from universities across the country dedicated to the study of non-monogamous relationships, such as polyamory, open relationships, swinging, polygamy, among others.
In general, the growth of the debate occurs in a complex political and social scenario, where conservative discourses seek to impose rigid views on relationships and affections, while resistance movements reaffirm the importance of diversity and autonomy in relational configurations.
After all, how have people been shaping their affective lives in the face of so many constantly shifting ideas and norms? And how do non-monogamies contribute to the expansion of ways of existing and affecting the world, amidst a context of growing fascism and conservatism?
Within this context, we have scheduled the online conference for November 29th and 30th, and the in-person conference in Rio de Janeiro for December 3rd, 4th, and 5th, so that we may collectively share, reflect upon, and contribute to the pressing issues that have profoundly shaped public debate.
About the Call for Papers
The 5th NMCI Conference is a space for inter- and transdisciplinary reflection and dialogue, bringing together different fields such as Social Sciences, Psychology, Law, Health Sciences, Communication, Arts, as well as social movements. The event seeks to integrate a series of critical perspectives on gender and sexuality, family and kinship, coloniality, race and ethnicity, human rights, and political economy, as well as transfeminist themes, queer/cuir theory, cultural studies, post- and transhumanism, among others.
Based on these approaches, the conference will encompass a series of themes, including:
- State and Rights – Relations between the state, law, and monogamy, mononormativity and legal recognition of non-monogamies, emerging forms of judicial activism, alternatives to the legal/institutional centrality of the nuclear family in public and social assistance policies.
- Family and Kinship – Multiparenthood and the emerging biopolitics of human and non-human kinship. Non-monogamous kinships and multiple conceptions of kinship recognized or not by the State. Kinship among Indigenous peoples. Queer/cuir perspectives in Abya Yala.
- Social Movements and Non-Monogamous Activisms – Relational dissidence and activist experiences; relationships between non-monogamous activism and feminist, LGBTQIAPN+, anti-racist, and other movements. Intersections between sexuality, public order, economic precarity, moral panics, repression of protests, backlashes, and other oppressions originating from the capitalist and neoliberal system.
- Collective Health and Psychotherapies – Violence in professional practices and discourses in public health policies that enforce mononormativity. Relations between monogamous moralities and public health, body, and vulnerabilities. Similarities and contrasts in the effects of the HIV/AIDS and Covid-19 pandemics on sexual dissident practices. Strengthening virtual support networks and welcoming spaces for non-monogamy groups. Psychotherapies and care networks in the context of non-monogamous relationships.
- Subjectivities, Identities, and Social Practices – Production of contemporary subjectivities, practices of emancipation, autonomy, and deconstruction of stereotypes. Construction of political identities and counter-hegemonic practices. Subjectivation processes in non-monogamous relationships, including hierarchization, jealousy, compersion, and other aspects.
- Territoriality, Coloniality, Cultural and Geopolitical Differences – North-South relations in studies on non-monogamies. Monogamy, catechization, and colonization. The hypersexualization of non-white and non-monogamous bodies. Relations between polyamory, polygamy, Islamophobia, and other forms of xenophobia. Racism in non-monogamous communities. Relational dissidence in the Global South, ethnocide, and sexuality. Ball culture. Post-colonial, decolonial, anti-, and counter-colonial approaches. Relations with the environment in the Anthropocene.
- Gender Oppressions and Non-Monogamous Sexual Practices – Political non-monogamy, free relationships, relational anarchy, polyamory, open relationships, swingers, among others. Sex Work, online sexualities and affectivities, cybersex, BDSM, dating apps, asexuality, etc. Feminisms, masculinities, machismo, and misogyny. Debates on how these practices and other categories are challenging gender and sexuality norms.
Call for Papers
We aim to provide a meeting space for academic, artistic and activist communities, challenging the conventional models of the hegemonic system of knowledge production. Therefore, we are open to a variety of participation formats, which will be presented below.
Access the submissions page to learn more details.
Important Dates
| June 16, 2025 | Call for papers begins. |
August 15, 2025 | Last call for paper submissions. |
Until August 22, 2025 | Publication of responses to submitted papers. |
| June 15 to August 30, 2025 | Early registration for accepted papers and for listeners. |
| August 31 to September 30, 2025 | Extended registration for accepted papers. |
| August 31 to November 28, 2025 | Extended registration for listeners. |
Soon | Publication of the rules for submitting papers. |
| November 29 and 30, 2025 | Online mode of the 5th Conference on Non-Monogamy and Contemporary Intimacies. |
| December 3, 4 and 5, 2025 | In-person mode of the 5th Conference on Non-Monogamy and Contemporary Intimacies, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. |
Register now
Secure your spot at the 5th Conference on Non-Monogamies and Contemporary Intimacies (NMCI) by clicking the button below.
NMCI Conference 