The concept of sex, sexuality and sexual relations all still remain a matter of controversy. Therefore in order to deconstruct such concepts and truly understand its different meanings and implications for our society today, one must thoroughly analyze the history of sexuality from an objective and an insightful perspective. The six articles chosen specifically address the complicated and intricate nature of not only sexuality but also the method by which it is and was studied. There are certain themes which run parallel in all articles. These themes ground the notion that sexuality in fact cannot be confined solely to one realm or another realm of academic scholarship. Therefore, the study of sexuality demands the attention and scholarly efforts of various different academic disciplines. It is this collaborative approach which leads to the most comprehensive understanding of the history of sexuality. Other themes range from the gender constructions which so deeply define the role of sex in any private or public arrangement to the ignorance, hypocrisy, and ambivalence in certain cases surrounding sex itself. These factors and various others make it very difficult to objectively analyze sex and its deconstruction in various different contexts. Hence, the history of sexuality can only be analyzed and understood only if certain conditions are met. Firstly, sex and sexual history needs to be put a socio-cultural and economic context which is unique to the environment in question. Secondly, only an interdisciplinary approach to the study of sexual nature and relations will be able to suffice this course of academic endeavor. Thirdly, because medicalization of sex is done in a very culture conscious manner it is very difficult but also important to reason if a sexual medical diagnosis is based on physical manifestations or social constructions. Fourthly, sex should be looked upon as a vesicle through which different societies and individuals express themselves, however, it is integral to understand that sex does not hold absolutely direct correlations with any other social phenomenon. Lastly, because the history of sexuality is still very young in the academic context, it is important to consider academic work with some form of skepticism as they often tend to be narrowed perspectives of issues which may affect a much more diverse and extended society. Hence, keeping these objectives in mind, the six articles in questions will therefore be evaluated and analyzed based on how clear and concisely they present their argument; the importance, originality and the interdisciplinary nature of their topic of their topic; along with the overall flow and harmony of the piece which strengthens the integrity of the piece.
One of the first pieces from The Reader: History of Sexuality, the ‘Game Girls of VNS Matrix,’ is utterly fascinating because it completely debunks the notions of gender constructions and identities which are preordained by the constructs of society. This article is especially thought provoking because it probes one to question the specific gender constructions and perspectives in regards to sex and sexuality which are largely governed and strictly controlled by societal rules and regulations of how sex is perceived and practiced. The VNS system is chiefly captivating as it takes a hyper-feminist approach of taking charge and control of a fantasy world which is empowered largely by females. This too is an intriguing idea as the players who hope to succeed only win the game if they identify themselves as gender less. This loss of gender itself empowers being female as it does not constrict or confine females to one particular prototype which is assigned by society. The article presents gender in a fluid scheme where males and females are both not only, sexual objects of pleasure but are also functional objects of power in their own respective realms. The originality of this article and the way the article presents the material is unconventional yet entrancing. Because the content itself is quite alluring and far from ordinary, it is easy to distinguish this article among the others. The incorporation of various scripts from within the game into the article also serves as one of the key tools to making this article particularly engaging and enthralling. By incorporating the actual script into the article, it serves to hold the readers attention to the very end without losing purpose or motive within the article itself.
The other two articles from ‘The Reader’ which are ‘AIDS and the Discursive Construction of Homosexuality’ along with ‘Regulated Passions’ both address the societal implications of the medicalization of sex itself. Even though medicine is often considered to be a hard science, the study of sexuality and sex itself challenges the previous paradigms of medicine. Specifically two articles directly address this matter from two different perspectives. Primarily, the AIDS article brings to attention how HIV was initially classified as a ‘gay’ disease. The article extensively discusses the seriousness by which even the medical practitioners clearly associated AIDS with being homosexual. Furthermore, the article also constructs the notion of how homosexuality itself was considered a “disorder.” This claim clearly illustrates the impact of socio-cultural influences on medicine. These socio-cultural implications can also be seen in the ‘Regulated Passions’ article which addresses the fixation of classifying every behavior outside of the social norm as “abnormal.” It addresses how any behavior which deviates from the heterosexual norm is considered a disorder.
The content in both of these articles present fascinating intertwined relationships between medicine, sex and society. However, the presentation of the content itself suffered for various reasons. For instance, the ‘Regulated Passions’ article tended to be both redundant as well as unclear in certain parts of the article. The argument which was initially clear became cloudy and distorted due to the discussion of the career differences of sexologists and addiction specialists. Although one can see the importance of this distinction, it also leads one to wonder if it is more important to talk about the individuals who are being “regulated” or those who are doing the regulating. The article is unclear in identifying a clear relationship between those who are seeking help and those who attempted to appease the situation. The AIDS article, in contrast, is perhaps one of the strongest among the six as it presents issues in a manner which is very perceptive and insightful. The interdisciplinary nature of the article itself is also quite impressive. The writing style is clear and orderly as the arguments are in harmony with each other.
In summary, the three articles from A Reader: History of Sexuality are chosen for various reasons. Firstly, all of the three articles possess originality. For instance, the ‘AIDS and the Discursive Construction of Homosexuality’ article sheds light on how homosexuality was isolated in the late 1970s not only because of its own nature, but more so because of the political and socio-cultural factors such Watergate, a recession, and a rising of divorce rates. Hence, homosexuality was isolated and identified as the antithesis of heterosexuality and was as a result associated with promiscuity along with other lose moral standards as well as with the utter loss of family values. Even though much hostility still exists in relation to homosexuality, this article sincerely sheds light on why and how these stereotypes were and are constructed in a society. The ‘Regulated Passions, ’the weakest of all six articles, is chosen because of the nature of its topic. It draws light on the fascinating notion that sex must be regulated to the heterosexual norm. Furthermore, if sex is not regulated to this norm, it is therefore classified as a disorder and help should be immediately consulted. The weakness in this article particularly stems from the presentation of this article which is somewhat disorganized and tends to drift off topic. The third and final piece which discusses the VNS matrix is by far the most shocking of the three. Because of the provocative nature of the article, the article illustrates the keen sense of intelligence and creativity of an individual who is able to come up with such an idea in the first place. It also generates an appreciation for the actual author of the article who presents the piece in such an engaging and impressive manner. The originality of discussion as well the authors agency within the context of the arguments both serve as functioning units of sound analysis of a body of work.
This authorial agency and control can also be felt very strongly in the first article from the online journal which discusses sexuality under the Nazi regime. Before beginning the discussion of the functionality of sex in the Nazi regime, it is important to put sex in particular socio-cultural context. Because often times it is not realized that a specific socio-cultural, political and economic construct is integral for the analysis of any social phenomenon, one may risk making assumptions and drawing grossly inaccurate conclusions. The author of the Nazi article successfully paints a picture of the Nazi regime which views sex for only its functional purposes of producing “superior” children as well as a means for the soldiers to gain “vigor” in the battlefield. This established social construct is critical in the article as it provides a backdrop on which sexuality within the Nazi regime is further understood.
The Nazi article is also very keen in pointing out the gender roles which are respectively played by men and women, as well as how these roles relate to sex. For example, the author cleverly presents a situation where both male and female sexualities are de-individualized and sex, as a result, serves as more of a communal means to an end rather than a pleasure source. Although the author does not explicitly state these nuances in the article, the manner in which the author presents the information alludes to this phenomenon.
Another nuance is seen in the second article from the online journal which discusses the impact of imperialism in the regulation of sex in
Both of these articles are similar in that they use sex for a very specific purpose. For instance, Nazi Germany uses sex as a means of producing “superior” offspring and increasing the “strength” in soldiers. On the other hand, the British colonizers present West Africans as over sexual beings that were savages and therefore justified their imperialistic entrapment and their refusal to implement communicable diseases laws. These two articles are different in that Nazi Germany completely internalizes the sexual system in order to suit its needs where as the British system does not. The British imperial system, in contrast, decided not to pass communicable disease laws because of certain external reasons such as financial limitations for example. To elaborate, the British regime did not invest a great extent in a health care system, which makes it understandable why they would be unlikely to explicitly support and implement communicable disease prevention initiatives. The Nazi regime completely internalizes the sexual system as both males and females are expected to have sex for its very functional uses. This external and internal nature of the functionality of sex allows one to notice the distinct nuances between the two circumstances.
In terms of scholarship, the Nazi regime article proved to be a stronger candidate than the Imperialism article for one main reason. The Nazi regime article was presented in a clear manner through out the article as it presented ideas in a systematic and controlled approach. Although the thesis for the Imperialism article was strong, the article tended to be superfluous and therefore lost its initial affect.
The last article from the online journal discusses sexual education directly. This article was specifically chosen in order to enforce that fact that one cannot discuss sex in terms of medicine without stressing the importance of sexual education above all other public health parameters. The article brought to attention the duality of sexual knowledge itself by identifying the potency of its knowledge as well as its devious roots. The article stresses the fact that although some adults felt sexual education was integral, others saw it as a means of corrupting the youth. This delicate relationship which exists between sexual knowledge and sexual activity is integral to understanding how a particular society feels about sex. The manner in which this article is organized and presented proves to be very affective. The article addresses a very integral point which sheds light on sex education and its opposition. This very topic serves to draw a reader in as it directly relates sex to not only society but also to education and medicine. The interdisciplinary approach once again proves to be one which brings much thought provoking insight and enlightenment to the piece.
The online pieces differed from the ones in the book as they seemed to lack as much agency and control which the authors of most of the articles from ‘The Reader’ possessed. Although the articles online were thoroughly interesting, the presentation of ideas was done much better in ‘The Reader.’ For instance, the article about the imperialism in
The imperialism article in the online journal also strongly contrasts to the AIDS article and VNS matrix article in ‘The Reader’. Both the articles from ‘The Reader’ possessed an elegant style of writing and presented their argument in a delightful and cleverly constructed manner. Because all the articles were compared one to another, it quickly becomes clear that the two articles from the reader are far more organized and succinct than the Imperialism article. In addition, The ‘Regulated Passions’ being the weakest of the articles in ‘The Reader,’ is fairly weak compared to the Nazi article. These two articles also present a strong contrast as the Nazi article commands the reader’s attention and stays on point where as the ‘regulated passions’ seems less focused and more off point in discussing sexual relations.
In comparing and contrasting various different articles, it becomes clear that originality, clarity of argument, the overall harmony of the work, along with the functional importance of the body of work all serve as imperative assets in any piece of academic work. Hence, it is not only important to draw insight and value upon the different ways the arguments within the articles have been presented, but it is also important to draw certain parallels within the articles themselves.
Because of the nature of sexuality itself, the academic environment of this discipline demands that the author draw certain conclusions even if those conclusions are not clearly seen in action as demonstrated specifically in the
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