In this comprehensive introduction to the study of sexuality, Gargi Bhattacharyya guides students through the key theoretical debates in the area from the early history of sexology, through Foucault's technologies of self to Judith Butler on the performance of identity, and shows how these theoretical positions apply to sexuality as it is experienced in contemporary society. Key topics include:
* the ideology of heterosexuality
* sex and the state
* sex, "race" and the "exotic"
* age and sexuality
* sex education and pornography.
Throughout the book Bhattacharyya argues that the study of sexuality is an essential part of broader debates on gender, "race", citizenship and community. Topical and original
Sexuality and Society will provide students with a lucid map to the terrain and an exciting starting point for their own investigations.