1st Edition

Handbook of the New Sexuality Studies

Edited By Steven Seidman, Nancy Fischer, Chet Meeks Copyright 2006

    As the field of sexuality studies has become a growth area in academia and classes on sexuality studies are incorporated into various disciplines, the expanding book market has been filled with specialist oriented texts which are often theoretically focused and contain too many summaries for an undergraduate audience. Addressing this imbalance, this key new volume presents the field of sexuality in an accessible and engaging way for undergraduates.

    Breaking new ground, both substantively and stylistically, this book offers students, academics and researchers an accessible, engaging introduction and overview of this emerging field. Its central premise is to explore the social character of sexuality, the role of social differences such as race or nationality in creating sexual variation, and the ways sex is entangled in relations of power and inequality. Through this novel approach, the field of sexuality is considered, for the first time, in multicultural, global, and comparative terms and from a truly social perspective.

    This important volume consists of over fifty short and original essays on the key topics and themes in sexuality studies, and interviews with twelve leading scholars in the field which convey some of the most innovative work being done. Each contribution clearly conveys the latest research with examples. Ideal for students of gender and sexuality studies, this topical and timely volume will be an invaluable resource to all those with an interest in sexuality studies.

    General Introduction

    Sex as a Social Fact

    Introduction

    1. Theoretical Perspectives-Steven Seidman

    2. Social Construction of Sexuality—Interview with Jeffery Weeks

    3. Surveying Sex--Interview with Edward Laumann

    Sexual Meanings

    Introduction

    4. Sex and the Family: An Indecent Genealogy—Maureen Sullivan

    5. Romantic Love-Interview with Eva Illouz

    6. Sexual Pleasure— Kelly James

    7. Purity and Pollution: Sex as a Moral Discourse –Nancy Fischer

    8. Sex and Power —Kristen Barber

    9. Gay and Straight Rites of Passage –Chet Meeks

    10.Coming Out in Italy—Cirus Rinaldi and Claudio Cappotto

    Sexual Bodies and Behaviors

    Introduction

    11. Medicine and the Making of a Sexual Body—Celia Roberts

    12. Sexualizing Asian Male Bodies-Travis Kong

    13. Sex and the Senior Woman—Meika Loe

    14. The Clitoris—Lisa Jean Moore

    15. Orgasm—Juliet Richter

    16. Anal Sex: Phallic and other Meanings—Simon Hardy

    17. Sexual Intercourse –Kermit Kay

    18. Viagra and the Coital Imperative—Nicola Gavey

    Sexual Identities

    Introduction

    19. Straight Men-James Dean

    20. Lesbians-Interview with Tamsin Wilton

    21. The Disappearance of the Homoseuxal—Interview with Henning Bech

    22. The Bisexual Menace Revisted: or, Shaking up Categories is Hard to do—

    Kristin Esterberg

    23. Bisexualities in America –Interview with Paula C. Rodriquez Rust

    24. Transgendering: Challenging the Normal-Kim Tauches

    25. Transsexual, Transgender, Queer-interview with Viviane Namaste

    26. Multiple Identities: Race, Class, and Gender in Lesbian and Gay Affirmative

    Protestant Congregations

    Sexual Institutions and Sexual CommerceIntroduction

    27. One is not Born a Bride: How Weddings Regulate Heterosexuality-Chrys

    Ingraham

    28. Change and Continuity in American Marriage–Erica Hunter

    29. Shopping for Love: Online Dating and the Making of a Cyber Culture of

    Romance-Sophi Demasi

    30. Conflicts at the Tubs: Bathhouses and Gay Culture and Politics in the US–

    Jason Hendrickson

    31. Sexual Tourism –Interview with Julia O’Connell-Davidson

    32 Sex Sells, but What Else Does it Do? The American Porn Industry —Chris

    Pappas

    33. Sex Workers—Interview with Wendy Chapkis

    34. Condoms in the Global Economy-Peter Chua

    Sexual Cultures Introduction

    35. The Body, Disability, and Sexuality—Tom Gershick

    36. Internet Sex: The Seductive ‘Freedom to’"—Dennis Waskul

    37. Gay Men Dancing: Circuit Parties—Russell Westhaver

    38. Time of the Sadomasochist: Hunting with(in) the ‘Tribus"—Darren

    Langdridge

    39. Sex and Young Japanese Heterosexual Men-Genaro Castro-Vazquez

    40. Sex and Rock n Roll—Interview with Mimi Schippers

    41. Secret Sex and the Downlow Brotherhood –Justin Hoy

    42. Wait…Hip Hop Sexualities –Thomas F. DeFrantz

    43 "Feederism:"A New Sexual Pleasure and Subculture—Dina Giovanelli and

    Natalie Peluso

    Sexual Regulation and Inequality

    Introduction

    44. Sexuality, State, and Nation –Jyoti Puri

    45. The Sexual Rights of Women and Homosexuals in Iran--Hamid Parnian

    46. The Marriage Contract.—Mary Bernstein

    47. Popular Culture Constructs Sexuality –Interview with Joshua Gamson

    48. Christianity and the Regulation of Sexuality in the US—Joshua Grove

    49. Law and the Regulation of Obscenity—Phoebe Gody

    50. Schools and the Social Control of Sexuality –Melinda Miceli

    51. Healing (disorderly) Desire: Medical-Therapeutic Regulation of Sexuality—

    PJ McGann

    52. Therapeutic Institutions--Chris Kelly

    53. Gender and the Organization of Heterosexual Intimacy-Dan Santore

    54. Sexual Politics in Intimate Relationships: Sexual Coercion and Harassment -Lisa Waldner

    55. Sexual and Racial Violence & American Masculinity—Evelyn Clark

    Sexual Politics

    Introduction

    56. Gay Marriage: Why Now? Why at all?—Reese Kelly

    57. Gay Men and Lesbians in the Netherlands—Gert Hekma and

    Jan Willem Duyvendak

    58. Queering the Family--Mary Burke and Kristine Olsen

    59. The Pro Family Movement—Tina Fetner

    60. Covenant Marriage: Reflexivity and Retrenchment in the Politics of

    Intimacy--Dwight Fee

    61. AIDS Politics--Jennifer Gunsaullus

    62. Supreme Court and the Politics of Lesbian and Gay Rights—Maddox

    63. Gender and Sexual Politics: The American Gay Rights and Women’s

    Movements—Magen Murphy

    64. Politics of Sex Education--Interview with Janice Irvine

    65. Sex Worker Rights Movement—Danielle Hidalgo

    Biography

    Steven Seidman is Professor of Sociology at the State University of New York at Albany. He is the author of, among other books, Romantic Longings: Love in America, 1830-1980 (Routledge, 1991), Embattled Eros: Sexual Politics and Ethics in America (Routledge, 1992), Difference Troubles: Queering Social Theory and Sexual Politics (1997), Beyond the closet (Routledge, 2002), and The Social construction of sexuality (2003). He co-edited Social Postmodernism: Beyond Identity Politics (1995) and edited Queer Theory/Sociology (1996) and the Lesbian and Gay reader (2002).

    Nancy Fischer is an Assistant Professor in the Sociology Department at Augsburg College, Minneapolis. Her research and teaching is in the areas of urban sociology, sexuality and the sociology of law.

    Chet Meeks is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Georgia State University. His interests include contemporary social theory, sexuality studies, and cultural sociology.