Science and Homosexualities (Business Studies) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0415915023 ISBN 13: 9780415915021

Publisher: Routledge, 1997

Synopsis

Science and Homosexualities is the first anthology by historians of science to examine European and American scientific research on sexual orientation since the coining of the word "homosexual" almost 150 years ago. This collection is particularly timely given the enormous scientific and popular interest in biological studies of homosexuality, and the importance given such studies in current legal, legislative and cultural debates concerning gay civil rights.  However, scientific and popular literature discussing the biology of sexual orientation have been short-sighted in representing it as objective, new scientific work. This volume demonstrates that the quest for the biological "cause" of homosexuality and other sexualities is as old as the term itself.  These essays explore the active role experimental  subjects played in shaping scientific theories of homosexuality and cultural perceptions of sexuality and sexual identity.  Finally this anthology studies the way in which this doctor-patient interaction shaped not only scientific theories of homosexuality, but also cultural perceptions and self-identities as well.

 Contributors include: Garland E. Allen, Erin G. Carlston, Julian Carter, Alice D. Dreger, Anne Fausto-Sterling, Margaret Gibson, Stephanie Kenen, Hubert Kennedy, Harry Oosterhuis, James Steakley, Richard Pillard, Jennifer Terry

About this title

About the Author

Vernon A. Rosario II, M.D. teaches at the University of Pennsylvania.

Review

"These themes are developed and examined in informative and rich analyses of various aspects of the historical and contemporary trends in the biomedical treatment of homosexuality and related phenomenon, such as intersexuality.."
-"Archives of Sexual Behavior
..."the corpus of these essays demonstrates the complex, historically shifting interplay between researcher and subject.."
-"Archives of Sexual Behavior
"All in all, this is an excellent collection of essays on the history and contemporary practice of biomedical science applied to homosexuality . The reader will gain a sophisticated understanding of the dialectics and contextual embeddedness of the scientific search for an understanding of sexuality and gender.."
-"Archives of Sexual Behavior
..."quite well-written, provocative, occasionally witty and wryly amusing, and they should be accessible to newcomers as well as informative to readers who have already delved into these topics."
-"Slogan
..."the essays in this volume make compelling arguments about the need to take seriously the high stakes of science."
-"CLGH

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0415915023
• ISBN 13: 9780415915021
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320
• Editor: Rosario M.D. Vernon A.