Sexuality Week 14 Lecture Overview 1. Sexology:

Transcript:Sexuality Week 14 Lecture Overview 1. Sexology::
Sexuality Week 14 Lecture Overview 1. Sexology: conceptualising ‘normative’ behaviour. Aristotle’s Masterpiece (1684) Sex manual and midwifery guide. Advocated sexual pleasure within marriage. Orgasm stimulates ovaries to release egg so vital for conception. Deals with issues such as infertility and gender determination. Torn hymen not proof of loss of virginity. Lost popularity by 1800s as other books emerge. Changing attitudes in 18th century Britain Transition from ‘one-body’ to ‘two-bodies’ model = Women naturally maternal Realisation female orgasm not necessary for conception = passionless women Narrowing idea of normative behaviour = heterosexual penetrative sex more common (Steinbach) Throughout 19th century other sexology books begin to emerge… William Acton, The Functions and Disorders of the Reproductive Organs in Youth, Adult Age and Advanced Life (1857) Advocated passionless nature of women and need to regulate male sexual activity. ‘Closed body system’: each person had limited sexual energy which should be conserved. Men counselled to avoid fornication, masturbation and nocturnal emissions and ration sex within marriage. ‘That insanity arises from masturbation is now beyond a doubt’. Control of female sexual behaviour Ailments afflicting adolescent girls said to signify abnormal sexual excitation. Some doctors used clitoridectomy to prevent sexual pleasure. Dr Isaac Baker Brown (1860s) advocated clitoridectomy to eradicate female self-abuse, mental illness, epilepsy, infertility and unfeminine behaviour. (Lesley Hall) Considered assault on British womanhood to argue that they practised self-abuse. General distaste at ‘mutilation’ . Sexuality and Empire Men - Belief that Asian/ Native Americans were feminine while Africans were sexual threat. Perceived cultural differences such as circumcision reinforced idea of ‘other’. (R. Hyam, Understanding Empire) Women – available for intercourse but not procreation. Bi-racial relationships generated much social fear. Press tried to persuade more British women to travel to colonies. Belief in sexual immorality or vulnerability to abuse targeted by British philanthropist. Act of colonisation in itself is gendered. The violation of one country by another. ‘Emasculating’ the native population. 2. illegitimacy and birth control. Class Divides in sexual practice Sex between people of different classes usually confined to illicit sex e.g. prostitutes, premarital or extra marital affairs. Servants especially vulnerable but affected many working class girls e.g. Gaskell’s Ruth. Cross-class marriage uncommon but did happen occasionally e.g. Hannah Cullwick and Arthur Munby. Class divides in sexual practices WORKING CLASS Respectability based on number of sexual partners not marriage: common law marriages. Rural areas: sex before marriage a fertility check to avoid a