Mononormativity: The Social Elevation of the Singular

Abstract

The elevation of one‐ness and the singular is a social pattern that can be identified across domains and contexts. I call this phenomenon mononormativity and define it as the normativity of “one‐ness” and “singularity” in contemporary U.S. society. Social pattern analysis is used to demonstrate how conventions of social marking can reveal previously unexplored patterns across seemingly unrelated institutions, identities, and relationships to show that mononormativity reflects the very basic ideals of how society is organized. This article takes what has been taken for granted and baked into the social mindscape and foregrounds what has previously been unexplored.