The Social Construction of Sexuality

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the ways in which heterosexuality and homosexuality have been formed as direct and indirect results of political, social, and economic forces. Includes historical meanings of sexuality: colonial America and classical Greece as well as a comparison of different critics' views.

From the Paper:

"In Is There a History of Sexuality, David Halperin defines sexuality as a cultural effect with lots of history and an "appropriation of the human body and of its physical capacities" (416). For the purposes of this essay, sexuality can be thought of as the sum total of a person's sexual thoughts, feelings, desires and behaviors, whether expressed or hidden. It is an aspect of a person's individuality and identity that is produced, molded, and affected by political, social, and economic forces in our society. In this essay I hope to cover each of these topics that are important in the development of sexuality and to explain why it is that they are such key elements."

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