Dr. Gesa Mayer

PhD in Sociology, master's degree in Higher Education (MHEd), teacher at Hamburg University of Technology, care worker, musician, member of the Network Critical Relationship Research, polyqueerfeminist, and many other things. I did my doctorate with an empirical study on consensual non-monogamy, which is currently under preparation for being published.

My main sociological interest is research on intimate relationships: Why and how do people live and love as couples, in open and/or polyamorous relationships? What do monogamous and non-monogamous ways of living have to do with social discourses, norms, power and gender relations? How accepted, discriminated, and/or emancipatory are 'alternative' models of relationships and family beyond the hetero- and mononormative couple relationship?

Depending on the type of event and the interests of the audience, my talks, workshops, interviews, and publications on topics such as romantic love and mononormativity, informal or consensual non-monogamies, open and polyamorous relationships, gender and desire may have an introductory character suitable for an everyday understanding but may as well address more specific sociological-theoretical issues.