Amatonormativity is the assumption or belief that all human beings aim to find love or form romantic relationships. The kind of relationships an amatonormative view considers humans want to attain are typically monogamous and long-lasting.
Elizabeth Brake, an associate professor of philosophy based in Arizona, coined the term amatonormativity around 2012. She modeled the term on the term heteronormativity, or the persistent belief that heterosexuality is the default sexual orientation. Her term incorporates the Latin word amatus, meaning love.
Brake developed the term amatonormativity to capture the common societal beliefs that people who aren’t in a monogamous romantic relationship want to be in such a relationship and that people who are not in monogamous romantic relationships would be happier if they were. Despite coining the term, Brake is critical of amatonormativity.
