Abstract
Although some excellent textbooks are available to support the teaching of a lively and informative human sexuality course (e.g., Crooks & Bauer, 2004; Hyde & DeLamater, 2002), in the complex and compelling area of human sexual proclivity, instructors may also be looking for a reader that is less clinical and more engaging to students. Combining a mixture of quantitative and qualitative research, as well as some classical and recent writings, this new contribution from Kimmel and Plante offers a useful set of selections for the classroom or for personal enrichment.
Sexualities opens with the classics: Sigmund Freud offering an erudite, albeit preposterous, explication of mother-daughter animosity and penis envy; Krafft-Ebing handling the vagaries of “fetichism” with appropriate scholarly distance; and Havelock Ellis demonstrating that it is not only possible to discuss sexuality in both a knowledgeable and appreciative manner, but essential to do so. Selections by Kinsey, Masters and Johnson, and Gagnon and Simon round out the orientation section. After this grounding, Anne Fausto-Sterling's modern-day classic, The Five Sexes, orients readers to the consciousness-raising material with which this volume is packed. Lenore Tiefer provides a scathing and well-argued critique of Masters and Johnson, offering readers an excellent model of how to think critically about research. A Thorne and Luria reprint from 1986 on the underpinnings of gender socialization in children might be perceived as somewhat outdated; however, the insights continue to be extremely relevant. Thorne and Luria's description of how the heavily cultivated ideology of male superiority among schoolboys can be redirected (via cultivation of homophobia and misogyny) before it establishes itself as all-out homosexuality is a brilliant piece of observation and analysis. Casting wide in the field of human sexuality, the editors have assembled a worthy collection of contributions that give the reader new ways to see and think about the “normal” and “odd” people and behaviors that they encounter daily. This is a major joy of the book: neither normal nor odd behavior will be so easily classified again.
Referencing Audrey Lorde, Adrienne Rich, Carol Gilligan, Michelle Fine, Sharon Thompson, and other feminist voices and researchers, Deborah Tolman's ethnographic research on the denigration of sexual desire in adolescent girls makes a powerful case for strong, comprehensive, and relevant sexuality education curriculum in schools. Tolman lucidly details how omission of such knowledge is not only disempowering, but, in fact, leaves young women unprepared for the dangerous and sometimes deadly situations they are very likely to face. Two entries on the topic of transgendered sexuality also highlight the danger of remaining ignorant. Gagné and colleagues offer a research-based exposition on the topic, whereas popular writer E. J. Graf eloquently weaves together anecdote, news story, and her own informed opinion. Each entry stands on its own, and together they give us a glimpse into a reality that is unfamiliar, perhaps unimaginable, to most of us. How does one change one's gender in front of the world, especially when even the bathrooms we use are so strictly gendered? Articles of this caliber not only illuminate; they can also transform.
If Sexualities has any weak areas, it is in the presentation of some of the quantitative research articles. Clearly, important information is provided by quantitative articles on topics such as high schoolers' masturbatory practices, and the incidence and circumstances of casual sex on spring break. However, readers (especially students) are likely to find the ethnographies more interesting. It is hard to top an anthropologist who takes a job as an exotic dancer to offer an insider's view, and multipronged analysis, of backstage at a strip joint. Through these selections, one comes to appreciate that both qualitative and quantitative research offer fertile ground for critical analysis. These diverse approaches may work best when presented together as they are in this volume, allowing the strengths and shortcomings of each approach to compensate for and balance the other.
Critical analysis is supported effectively throughout this volume. Whether discussing the intricacies of maintaining one's identity and managing intimacy while working in a “gentlemen's” club, deconstructing the not-so-benign but burgeoning industry of sex tourism, or touting the possibilities for online sexuality education, the articles represent rich and cogent examples of critical feminist analysis. Employing different modalities to examine issues such as pornography, sadomasochism, and innovative uses of the Internet, the selections do not fail to address how the dynamics of race, gender, and class play out in each. Furthermore, some excellent research is presented on the topics of date rape, gender differences in sexual fantasies, and sadomasochism.
This is a book that will reach women (and men) who are still wondering “what this whole feminism thing is about,” as well as those with considerable sex and gender savvy. It will be a wake-up call for some, and confirmation of long suspected intuitions for others (e.g., one contributor bluntly asserted that when lovers ask “was it good for you?” it is to confirm the questioner's sexual expertise, not the sexual satisfaction of his partner). This book can promote critical thinking, understanding, healing, and acceptance among students and the general public.