Discourse And Perverse Implantation Essay

Improved Essays
Sexuality, prior to the writings of nineteenth and twentieth century philosophers such as Freud and Foucault, wasn’t considered a field in the medical world. These men offered scientific answers to topics such as homosexuality and transexuality which were previously thought of as just sexual deviances. Due to the fact that the term sexuality was revolutionized in a medical sense certain historians would argue that, these philosophers and doctors “invented” sexuality by giving it medical backing. Writings such as Foucault’s Incitement to discourse and Perverse Implantation focus on the repressive nature of religion and how it has led to the restriction of sexuality as well as the shift of sexuality to the world of medicine. Freud’s works focus on the sexual development of children and how certain sexual abnormalities can occur depending on the actions of the parents. The topic of perverse implantation stems from the restrictions placed around sexuality in the western world before the 18th century and the backlash that was a direct cause of it. The main component of the conservative views towards sexuality in Europe developed as a result of the church creating this code of decency that was meant to change the way that people …show more content…
The power behind sexuality that was once in the hands of the church, prior to the eighteenth century was now put in the hands of doctors and teachers during the medicalization of sexuality. During this time sexuality was no longer viewed as something that needed to be administered by a higher power; It simply needed to be managed. The deviation from social norms are now considered diseases and conditions. Due to the fact that the doctor has more knowledge about said conditions they have the power claim the patient has an illness which delegates power over to them. The patient now seeks a diagnosis and a solution for their abnormal

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Douglas Crimp's Analysis

    • 811 Words
    • 4 Pages

    3. Douglas Crimp’s reading was divided into two parts, but applied Foucauldian philosophy in both parts in Crimp’s analysis after his summary of history surrounding HIV medicine. First, Crimp criticized and explained Andrew Sullivan’s discussion of HIV medicine in society, but subsequently he discussed the AIDS outbreak in the 1980s with its portrayal as depicted in And the Band Played On. Crimp’s first part included an analysed the morality in sexuality and medicine through Foucauldian philosophy, then he analysed the role of the CDC and news sources during the aids outbreak of the early 1980s. The intersection between morality and sexuality would have fascinated Foucault, yet he would diverged and not spent time on the practices of the journalists…

    • 811 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    History is a field renowned for dullness, however, Julie Peakman brings history to life in her book “Lascivious Bodies: A Sexual History of the Eighteenth Century.” No page is left untouched by the nearly comical records of sexual practices and interactions. This is without a doubt the most interesting book on any area of history I have had the pleasure of reading. While remaining humorous, Peakman touches on all aspects of sex, sexuality, and perspectives on sex for the extended eighteenth century. Anyone who would like to learn the history of sex should read Peakman’s work with the understanding that London was the sex capitol of the world which attracted people from all regions, meaning that the points made in this book are not exclusive to British culture.…

    • 1146 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Cultural construction of sexuality can be defined as the view that perceptions and attitudes towards sexuality varies due to the diversification in values and practices amongst various cultures. In this essay, I will argue that sexuality is culturally constructed and explore the different ways in which it is perceived and understood, as well as analysing the reasons for these differences. Firstly, I will look at sexually restrictive cultures and discuss how religion and ethos cause some cultures to have strict morals and beliefs regarding sexuality. Secondly, I will go on to look at sexually permissive cultures and explore how some cultures have greater freedom and openness towards sexuality, exploring the alternative connotations of sexual…

    • 1491 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The article by Steven Seidman made the claim that the United States government was able to take control of people’s sexuality, but over time has had a diminished role due to the protests from its citizens. Seidman split the article into four categories, Right to be Sexual, Women’s Sexuality, Homosexuality, and Interracial Marriage. By splitting the categories into different sections, the author was able to provide a more in-depth look at the claim and explain where the government was interfering with sexuality in different parts of society. Seidman’s claim displayed how the American government was far behind other countries in sexual tolerance. The article opened explaining how, “moral panic led to stepped-up state control over the bodies and…

    • 810 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Sexuality In The 1920's

    • 131 Words
    • 1 Pages

    Fast-forward to present day, and sexuality is viewed in a different light. Sexuality is seen…

    • 131 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Sex has always been closely analyzed by society. There are so many rules and restrictions that have been placed upon it. This is especially true in 15th century Europe, but still remains true today. During the late 1400’s sodomy was a crime that could be committed by men and women, although the term was not used when in reference to women. Sodomy was somewhat of a new trend being recognized in women, but rising in popularity.…

    • 874 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    This is found in the profound phenomenon of Western medicine medicalizing women’s bodies. The personal vibrator, has a unique history originating in the medicalization of women’s bodies during the turn of the 19th century. With victorian era values surrounding sex were still prevalent in the western world, doctors began to invent new conditions, (which are not valid DSM diagnoses today) that resulted from sexual frustration (Maine 5). Markedet to mostly white upper class women, who were indoctrinated with “lie back and think of england” mentalities when it came to the bedroom, the treatments for hysteria change according to what doctors were willing to treat, and profit off of. When manually treating hysteria with what was colloquially known as a pelvic massage, took too long, the practice of using water cannons, and shock treatments proliferated.…

    • 1353 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Gender and Sexuality from the Medieval to the 19th Century Throughout written history there have been a set of rules about typically anything one can fathom, from style of dress to the way one could worship, from who could own land to how a certain person could wear their hair. It is no surprise that these rules, enforced by society through social and judicial means, extended themselves into the subject of sexuality even if the terminology was different during the period. We get concepts of good and bad repeatedly throughout different times and different subjects simply to define what is acceptable, and unacceptable within a culture. Within the history of sexuality, from early medieval times to the late Victorian period (the 19th Century)…

    • 1513 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The concept of “normal” and “natural” versus the “abnormal” and “unnatural” may seem self-explanatory and easy to define at first glance, but he offers a deeper insight into what he claims to be the ever-changing definitions of these four simple words. Were past centuries as sexually conservative as they have been perceived to be? Have there always been homosexual people or for a period of time were there only heterosexuals? How does…

    • 1403 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Gayle Rubin's Analysis

    • 1198 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The use of Foucault and the theory about the discourse in sex and how its increased institutionalization over the course of time strengthen her arguments. Another noteworthy method is Rubin’s use of hypocrisies surrounding sexuality in western culture. An instance of this are laws that attempt to ban sexual activity and just sex in general for children and go so far as to prohibit what children see in movies and classrooms. Even the First Amendment rights do not cover one’s expression of sexual statements. There are numerous anti-obscenity laws that do not permit sexual commerce.…

    • 1198 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Men In Eden Analysis

    • 1212 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Benemann remarks that authors and historians regarding gay history must “grapple with the ghost of Michel Foucault,” who established the theory of homosexuality as a social construct (Benemann, 4). This posits that before the invention of the word itself, individuals did not consider themselves homosexual or heterosexual in nature, but rather viewed their sexual history as a series of independent actions. Benemman and I both take umbrage with this concept. There is evidence all the way back through the eighteenth century of extensive “establishment(s) of… ‘queer space’,” and “markers of the development of a group identity,” amongst those participating in what would now be deemed homosexual behavior (Benemann, 5). Even if individuals didn’t have a name for the way their sexuality impacted their…

    • 1212 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    During the Victorian period amongst many issues human sexuality, gender, and religion was heavily debated. Human sexuality is an element that has been evolving since the beginning of the nineteenth century. Sexual preference is one of the most criticized matters in society; moreover, to speak of sex is often taboo. These opinions are comparatively due to old teachings of religion. Although human sexual preference has become more accepted and published; however, during the Victorian period, homosexuality of any kind is a sinful and undiscussed act.…

    • 707 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Defining sexuality only in reproductive terms left no place for working class sexuality along with strict regulation of public sexuality such as art, media, and medicine. The success of Comstock’s law reveals how the moral reform that had been present since the early nineteenth century was now being supported by federal and state governments in an attempt to politicize sexuality. Furthermore, the definition of obscenity that was formed stemmed from a middle class discomfort with working class sexuality as the middle class came to value sexual restraint over all other principles. However, just like before, the…

    • 1665 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Foucault Discursive Power

    • 618 Words
    • 3 Pages

    When reading both “Foucault and the Disciplinary Society” By Riki Wilchins and “The History of Sexuality” by Michel Foucault the concept of discursive power stood out to me as an important concept. Foucault describe discursive power as the “account for the fact that it is spoken about, to discover who does the speaking, the positions and viewpoints from which they speak, the institutions which prompt people to speak about it and which store and distribute the things that are said”(Foucault, pg.11). Foucault is aiming to identify why we speak about sex, what is the script of sex, who creates the script society uses to discuss sex and also how this discursive power affects our society and its views of sex. In the reading by Wilchins she describes…

    • 618 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Introduction Medicalization is a word used to define a procedure where nonmedical issues become treated and determined as a medical condition causing it to be subject to a diagnosis, treatments, preventions or even a medical study. Medical issues change all the time due to new evidence or from changing social attributes and more. Medicalization is a strong influence on the views and beliefs of society. This essay denotes medicalization, discusses a light history of nonmedical problems becoming medical problems due to the views society had on certain behaviours, examines ‘The Sick Role’, and analyses ‘Normalization’ while linking all these points to social control. While medicine in today’s century is for relieving us from pain and restoring…

    • 2202 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Great Essays