Anthropology of Sex

Sexual cultures vary enormously and, while often the subject of tabloid titillation, they are only rarely subjected to strict cultural analysis. Accessible and highly engaging, The Anthropology of Sex is the first work to critically synthesise over a century of comparative expertise, knowledge and understanding of diverse sexual forms. It explores sexuality from diversity to perversity, analyses the relationship between sex as identity, practice and experience through a wide range of case material - from studies of voyeuristic Victorian gentlemen ethnographers to more recent analyses of gay sex and transexualism - and examines the shaping of sex by global forces in the contemporary world. It will be key reading for undergraduate or postgraduate courses in anthropology. 'This excellent book brings together cutting edge theory with a wide range of ethnographic evidence. It is a fascinating account of sexuality and all its many facets, raising issues of power, pleasure, taboo and more. An intriguing and engrossing read.' Heather Montgomery, Senior Lecturer in Childhood Studies, The Open University 'This volume not only brings sex - finally - into the centre of a discipline concerned with the different ways that people deal with the basics of human life, it is also a perfect combination of cross-cultural comparison and fieldwork examples at its best.' Dieter Haller, Chair for Social Anthropology, Ruhr-Universitat Bochum