mandag, august 20, 2007

Diskurshalløj

”A larger history of sexuality is told as either a narrative of progress toward greater sexual freedom and individual fulfilment or as a tale of degeneration and decadence in which sexual license is constantly threatening the moral fiber of civilization. The latter version is the dominant story traditionally told about sex, although not usually by historians. Theologians, politicians, moralists, and memorialists typically took the view that sex was a disruptive force that must be controlled and regulated. Trans-historical claims about sex as sin and social disorder were embedded in such views and for many, such ideas remain compelling. The assumption that sex always meant the same (negative) things shapes discussions of sex and sexuality to the present day.”

Fra introduktionen (s. 3) til “European Sexualities, 1400-1800” af Katherine Crawford Cambridge 2007