Our thinking of modern sexuality discourse has largely been repressed since the Victorian era. Since the early 19th century sex has only been seen as a means for reproduction, if seen as a means of pleasure is considered to be taboo. The only way to remove such an action from being viewed as taboo is to have open discussions about sex and educate citizens on other uses of sex besides for the process of reproduction. Michel Foucault was the first to question that thought process and to bring to light a different use of sex for pleasure instead of only being used for reproduction. He coined the word “discourse” to speak authoritatively on the topic of sex. According to Foucault the first psychologist to speak critically on the topic of sexuality …show more content…
Gay, lesbian and bi-sexual relations have just recently begun to be talked about in modern society. Progressive states like USA have recently legalized gay, lesbian, queer and bisexual marriages in USA. In the early 1800 (Victorian Era) the gender roles were clearly defined. Having sexual desires was clearly associated with the lower middle class and women of the upper class were supposed to show restraint in their sexual advances and …show more content…
One cannot replace one characteristic for another and believed that each have individual has their own unique traits that make them alluring to each other. One should accept the qualities both genders present and not discriminate on the basis of gender. The gender binary was developed where one believed that only two genders existed which were seen at birth and will align with the social construct of the masculinity and femininity. The sex that is determined at birth ends up imparting the rules and norms assigned for each gender to present themselves in society. This rules end up determining their identity and they never get to discover who they really are. No society in the world allows one to freely express sexual desires, one has to maintain a certain decorum to make sure that such desires are controlled in a public environment and one is made well aware of the societal norms that are in place while performing such an act. Sex is an intimate act between two partners to produce a pleasurable sensation in the body. One feels that full expression of such sexual desires might lead to anomie in society and hence in the middle ages of European history were largely
Foucault, M. (1978). The history of sexuality, Volume I: An introduction (R. Hurley, Trans.). New York: Vintage. (Original work published 1976)
In the article “An Anthropological Look at Human Sexuality” the authors, Patrick Gray and Linda Wolfe speak about how societies look at human sexuality. The core concept of anthology is the idea of culture, the systems of attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors people acquire as a member of society. The authors give an in depth analysis on how human sexuality is looked at in all different situations.
I decided to focus my paper on the first volume, the most mentioned and most known, which is a deep analysis of the last two centuries of history of sexuality, particularly oriented in finding out why and how sexuality is an object of discussion. Foucault is not interested in sexuality itself, but he is interested in how it has become an object of knowledge. Why, in the past few centuries, have we increasingly come to see our identity as bound with our sexuality?
Subjection is a process that operates in society, and according to sociologist Michel Foucault, can be applied to a multiplicity of discourses. Foucault explains that the beginning of the nineteenth century marked the age of sexual repression and censorship, which became a time of subjection through exerting disciplinary control over a docile population. In his The Introduction to the History of Sexuality, Foucault explains how the scientification of sex came about. Specifically, it was an attempt to obtain a uniform truth about sex. However, there is no truth to it, but rather it is merely a vehicle for social control. Foucault distinguishes the discourses of sexuality from the science of sexuality, while also discussing how enforcement of the discourse on sex was made possible by various strategies of social control, such as the medicalization and scientification of sex. Further, he asserts that sex and sexuality became social issues in an effort to manage and direct the life of individuals, and this change contributed to providing society with more power over individual bodies through the “true” discourse of sex as this discourse internalized over time.
Sexuality is a subject that has changed over times, the idea of sexuality and sex shifted from one view to another as people began to enforce different views in society. At the beginning of the 17th century there was little need for secrecy about sexuality and sexual practices as the idea was an open topic that could be discussed freely in society. Adult humour was not kept from children and ideas were open to all (Foucault and Hurley, 2008). However this times in society changed due to the power of the Victorian bourgeoisie. Sex and sexuality became confined and moved into the privacy of the home. People no longer spoke freely about it and secrecy became key (Foucault and Hurley, 2008).
Sexuality is often looked down upon by mainstream society. Embedded into culture and tradition, sex itself has been made to be seen as a taboo of sorts. Prostitution was made illegal; pornography was made evil. Rooted deep within the teachings of the most common religious morality systems, sex and sexuality is often paired with punishments. Those who explore their sexuality is often shamed, and labeled with words that can ostracize such persons from society. Kant’s view of sexuality almost destroys his credibility as a philosopher by providing unclear and unreasonable points of sexuality and objectification, yet he remains keen on trying to prove that sex, outside of marriage, is the worst possible sin. However, there are those who believe that expressing sexuality is power, and is exercising autonomy. Many existentialists see sexuality as a means of self-expression, and to not be comfortable with sexuality shows that the person inhabits the morality of the sheep.
In The Introduction to the History of Sexuality, Foucault explains how during the 19th century with the raise of new societies, the discourse or knowledge about sex was not confronted with repulsion but it “put into operation an entire machinery for producing true discourses concerning sex” (Foucault 69). In fact, this spreading of discourse on sexuality itself gives a clear account of how sexuality has been controlled and confined because it was determined in a certain kind of knowledge that carries power within it. Foucault reflects on the general working hypothesis or “repressive hypothesis,” and how this has exercised power to suppress people’s sexuality. It has power on deciding what is normal or abnormal and ethical or unethical about sexuality. Through discourses of life and sexuality, power is exercised because humans learned how to behave in relation to sexuality, which method keep individuals controlled and regulated. This explains why people experience that sense of behaving inappropriate when we talk about sex in a different way than the whole society. Foucault points up how sexuality is not just treated in terms of morality, but it is a matter of knowledge and “truth.” However, these discourses, including sexual discourses are not true or false, but they are just understood to be the truth or falsehood to control society. As a result, sexuality begins to be explored in a scientific way, developing the “truth” science of sex (Foucault 69). For Foucault, he asserts that sexuality has developed as a form of science that keeps us all afraid of such phenomena, which people think to be true, thus this science helps society to discipline and control individuals’ behaviors.
In my discussion I will be addressing three main issues that concern sexuality. The subjects are prostitution, premature ejaculation, and abortion. Although these topics concern different aspects of sexuality, I still chose to discuss them either because they relate to my sexual experiences, or because I wanted to further educate myself on the subject due to my lack of sexual experience and knowledge in the field.
Unlike sex, the history of sexuality is dependant upon society and limited by its language in order to be defined and understood.
Foucault, M. (1978). The History of Sexuality, Vol. 1: An Introduction. New York: Vintage Books.
Gayle Rubin’s “Thinking Sex: Notes for a Radical Theory of the Politics of Sexuality” focused on the history of sexuality and sexual persecution. Gayle Rubin recognizes the idea of sex as a natural force that exists prior to social life and which shapes institutions and society. First, Rubin, emphasizes the idea of negative sex, by showcasing views by other scholars. Rubin notes Foucault in his 1978 publication “The History of Sexuality”, as “sex as the natural libedo wearing to break free of social constraint” (Rubin, 149). This leads Rubin to her understanding of sex negativity. Sex, as Rubin depicts, is dangerous, destructive and a negative force and sex negativity is any negative sexual behaviour other than married or reproductive sex. Many Western religious believe that sex should only be for reproductive reasons and that pleasure and anything outside of martial sex should not be experienced. Third, Rubin goes on to construct the charmed circle, distinguishing good and bad sex. Resulting from sex negativity, Rubin develops an illustration of good and bas sex, better known as the charmed circle. Instances of bad sex include; casual,
In the book History of Sexuality: An introduction, Volume 1 by Michel Foucault, he discusses the “repressive hypothesis” which he had developed. Sexual repression was due to the rise of the bourgeois. He suggests that the repressive hypothesis is important for discourse on the revolution of sexuality. Foucault has recognized the repressive hypothesis as a form of discourse. The repressive hypothesis has power to repress the debate of sexuality. Foucault mentions that society has created control over how people talk about sex over time. In the 17th century with the rise of the bourgeoisie, there had been control on the discourse of sex. In the 18th century, sex was studied for the means of regulating the demographic of the population. Sex lives
He believes that the way in which sexuality is expressed, by different philosophers, is the wrong way to think of sexuality. Through his philosophy his main goal is to question sexuality itself and for society to question the idea of the sexuality options given. Foucault has participated in many revolution such as women and gay revolutions and in the movements pertaining to the solitary prisoners faced in the 70’s. Foucault believed in observing and participating in social movements. He believed that in order to understand the present ies, history needed to be explained and observed. Being able to see historical movements, in a linear matter, gives us the ability to see the problems in the present day. When describing his books, Foucault often referred to them as the history of the present. Foucault ultimately believed that in order to understand the present time one must look at past events. The example of expressing the past in order to understand the future can be further explained in his book, History of sexuality. History of Sexuality is also used by Foucault to further explain sexuality and his critique of the repressive hypothesis. In Foucault’s book he speaks on many historical events, as well as the politics of truth, the origination of confession and lastly the explosion of sexuality in a form of
... decades ago. This book is one that will allow the reader to view many aspects of sexuality from a social standpoint, and apply it to certain social attitudes in our society today, these attitudes can range from the acceptance of lesbian and gays, and the common sight of sex before marriage and women equality. The new era of sexuality has taken a definite "transformation" as Giddens puts it, and as a society we are living in the world of change in which we must adapt, by accepting our society as a changing society, and not be naive and think all the rules of sexuality from our parents time our still in existence now.