History of Sexuality - 3607 Words

| | | A Historical Critique of Homosexual Exclusions from the Armed Forces using the concepts of Michel Foucault From 1989 to 1999, the time period of the Clinton Administration, a homosexual force entered the American consciousness. Court cases and rhetoric of the 80s incited a discourse in which homosexuality was re-articulated, re-negotiated, and unmistakably re-repressed (Davis 3). Supreme Court judgment and actions taken by Congress with the Dont Ask, Dont Tell policy exemplify theories of sexuality and power expressed in the philosophies of Michel Foucault. Foucault was a French-born†¦show more content†¦Foucault saw the importance of the matter to lie in how the discourse on sexuality in our culture has paradoxically produced repression. Repression in modern society is a complex process. Foucaults work divides pre-modern sexual acts from modern sexual identities and sexualities (Lochrie 86). Foucault explained that the discussion of sexuality itself was restricted in a few areas. After the eighteenth century he noted an institutional incitement to speak about [sex]... a determination on the part of the agencies of power to hear it spoken about, and to cause it to speak through explicit articulation and endlessly accumulated detail (18). This proliferation of discourse had the effect of increasing encroachment of state law onto the issue of private sexuality. Foucaults analysis was considered radical. This aspect of societal repression and subsequent obsession plays an important role in understanding the reactionary political movements concerning homosexuals in the military. This will be examined after a discussion of the functions of sexuality and power. In The History of Sexuality, this examination also focused on the functions of sexuality and power. He created the term Biopower, which refers to the regulation of subjects by the state. This regulation occurs through an explosion of numerous and diverse techniques for achieving theShow MoreRelatedA History of Sexuality Essay1960 Words   |  8 Pages Unlike sex, the history of sexuality is dependant upon society and limited by its language in order to be defined and understood. In his paper which is called Is There A History of Sexuality, Halperin drew a distinction between the topics of sexuality and of sex. He claimed that the two concepts are separate ideas. In Halperins view, sex is a natural function that has not changed in many years, if ever at all. He says that sex â€Å"is a natural fact, grounded in the functioning of the body, and asRead MoreEssay on History of Sexuality2302 Words   |  10 PagesMarried Love was an unprecedented book, which inadvertently redefined female sexuality. Often regarded as the precursor of sex-manuals, Married Love launched Stopes’ enormously successful career as a writer. 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This essay will attempt to delve into the controversialRead MoreA Long History Of Sexuality Is Conditioned And Inhibited By A Complicated History1402 Words   |  6 Pagesthink about sexuality is conditioned and inhibited by a complicated history and, to make our problems worse, that history is in the power of those who have necessarily been antagonistic to women for a very long time. Males generally have been economically and socially superior to women since they became the primary producers and possessors of private property.† (Murphy Robinson, 1984: 251) One of Western societies biggest social taboos is sex. Even more so, there is a long history of repressedRead MoreThe Perception of Human Sexuality throughout History1030 Words   |  4 PagesThroughout history it is evident that human sexuality changes do to religious, governmental and societal influences. The perception of human sexuality has gone through many changes such as being very open and unlabeled activity; to being very â€Å"conservative† and a topic that shouldn’t be talked about in public or at all. In any case, human sexuality has always been a topic of interest because humans are sexual beings who want to understand the consciousness of themselves as male or female and seeRead More The Introduction to the History of Sexuality by Foucault Essay1118 Words   |  5 PagesIn 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 wi th repulsion but it â€Å"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 carriesRead MoreThe Importance Of Being Sexual : A History Of Sexuality Essay2012 Words   |  9 PagesThe Importance of Being Sexual: A History of Sexuality Sex is the force that drives the continuation of humanity, and sexuality is an integral part of human life. Next to survival, the most primitive primal human instinct is sex. Sexuality is something carnal and pervasive, something that is responsible for and touches the lives of everyone. Understanding its history, its relativity to culture and era, and its fluidity of meaning is vital to gaining and composing a full understanding of the behaviors