SOC 633 Chapter Notes - Chapter 01: Heterosexuality, Social Enterprise
15 Oct 2012
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Chapter 1 constructing sex, the sexual, and the erotic. Sex can"t really be defined, as it is many things. Its meaning can vary via time and culture and is something we learn slowly over time. Therefore, the meaning of sex is a product of both individual and social factors. When deconstructing sex, it"s found to be a social enterprise, affected by external factors to the individual. Three frameworks, as discovered by lynne segal, for thinking about sex are the spiritual, biological, and social. Essentialists define sex as a product of organic and biochemical processes. They also feel humans are either born straight/gay. Social constructionism argues that our perception of what is real is only defined by the meaning that we attribute to a given situation. These meanings are created in certain social environments through social interactions. It"s through socializing that we learn about the world around us. Social hierarchies also play roles in the ascription of meanings.
