The History Of Sexuality–Foucault

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Laura Hedrick Instructor Adair Rounthwaite Social and Political Analysis of Porn Response Paper #1 The History of Sexuality–Volume 1: An Introduction, By Michel Foucault This is an introduction to the repressive nature on the topic of sex and how it came to be. Foucault also digs deeper into the relations of power and repressive conducts. In this essay I will discuss his observations in the discourses when addressing sex in discussion, how this relates to the maturing of a young adult, and why this discussion is so essential to the development of a child. Foucault starts in Volume One by introducing us to the “repressive hypothesis”. Here we can relate the general, average child’s upbringing in the beginning of the nineteenth century, “sexuality was carefully confined: it moved into the home” (3), to that of the seventeenth century, where “codes regulating the coarse, the obscene, and the indecent were quite lax” (3). Here it is very relevant to understand that this large leap from an era of open sexuality to complete concealment of the truth can have varying effects on children of each epoch - from speaking openly about sex, giving the conversation no unique power, to where speaking this way results in defiance. It is important to consider why children of these eras were essential to the Victorian era and the movement of this social conduct. Perhaps society developed these discourses in order to discuss what we were taught by Christianity to be wrong. And through the Church we Adair R 12-2-10 5:18 PM Comment: unclear Adair R 12-2-10 5:16 PM Comment: Are you talking about Foucault’s book? Adair R 12-2-10 5:17 PM Comment: Unclear - rephrase Adair R 12-2-10 5:17 PM Comment: Note that Foucault is NOT arguing that the modern era is characterized by silence on sexuality. That is how he characterizes the mainstream view of sex. were only allowed to
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