Forms of Desire: Sexual Orientation and the Social Constructionist ControversyEdward Stein "Perhaps the central issue in the emerging area of inquiry known as lesbian and gay studies is the social constructionist controversy. Social constructionism is the view that the categories of sexual orientation (the category "homosexual" in particular, but also the categories "heterosexual" and "bisexual") are cultural constructs rather than universal categories of nature. According to this view, it makes no sense to say, for example, that Socrates was a homosexual because the cultural kind had not yet been constructed. Forms of Desire brings together important essays by social constructionists and their critics representing several disciplines and several different approaches to this debate about the history and science of sexuality. The recent social constructionist viewpoint has its contemporary sources in two different schools of thought: continental philosophy as represented by Michel Foucault and the social interactionist school of sociology as represented by Mary McIntosh.The position's more distant ancestry involves the philosophical position known as nominalism. By bringing together papers which discuss different versions of social constructionism, as well as a number of papers critical of the view, the anthology provides easy access to the important essays on the topic and makes more transparent both the position and its genealogy. Contributors: John Boswell, Arnold Davidson, Wayne R. Dynes, Steven Epstein, Michel Foucault, Ian Hacking, Mary McIntosh, Robert Padgug, Edward Stein, Leonore Tiefer, James Weinrich." http://www.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0651/91037164-d.html. |
Contents
The Perverse Implantation Michel Foucault | 11 |
The Homosexual Role Mary McIntosh | 25 |
Sexual Matters On Conceptualizing | 43 |
Making Up People Ian Hacking | 69 |
Sex and the Emergence of Sexuality | 89 |
Concepts Experience and Sexuality | 133 |
Reality or Social Construction? | 175 |
Wrestling with the Social Boa Constructor | 209 |
Social Constructionism | 295 |
Conclusion The Essentials | 325 |
Bibliography | 355 |
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acts American Ancient Greece argue argument berdaches biological bisexual Boswell categories of sexual chapter claim concept CSTH culture debate discussion distinct drag queens Edward Stein emergence erotic essay essentialism essentialist ethnic example experience fact female feminine Gagnon gay identity Gayle Rubin gays and lesbians gender Greek hermaphrodites heterosexual History of Sexuality homosexual and heterosexual homosexual identity Homosexual Role human sexuality Ian Hacking individual Jeffrey Weeks John Boswell kind Kinsey labeling labeling theory lesbians and gay meaning Michel Foucault Modern Homosexual nature nineteenth century nominalist objective particular patterns person perspective perversion petual pleasure possible problem psychiatric style Psychology question reality refer relations relationships reprinted sense sexual activity sexual behavior Sexual Categories sexual identity Sexual Landscapes sexual orientation Social Construction social constructionism social constructionists society sodomy specific Steinberg style of reasoning University Press volume women York