Description
Book SynopsisDisorders of Desire is the only book to tell the story of the development and impact of sexology-the scientific study of sex-in the United States. In this era of sex scandals, culture wars, \u0022Sex in the City,\u0022 and new sexual enhancement technologies (like erectile dysfunction drugs), its critique of sexology is even more relevant than it was when the book was first published in 1990. This revised and expanded edition features new chapters addressing: &&LI&&The diagnosis of \u0022sex addiction\u0022in the 1970s and its social and political implications.&&/LI&& &&/UL&& &&LI&&New developments within the field of sexology, including the \u0022Viagra Revolution\u0022 that began in the 1990s. &&/LI&& &&/UL&& &&LI&&The pharmaceutical industry's role in the development of sexual enhancements and the search for the female equivalent of Viagra.&&/LI&& &&/UL&&
Trade Review"Disorders of Desire...has important lessons for historians generally. In its meticulous documentation of the in-fighting between different schools of thought within the overall (and much beleaguered by external opponents) field of sexology within a fairly narrow time frame, it reminds us that we may similarly be lumping together very diverse interests and agendas under such headings as 'social purity,' 'sex reform,' 'eugenics,'or 'the birth control movement.' ...This is an excellent, readable, thought-provoking study."-Lesley A. Hall, The Society for the Social History of Medicine "A comprehensive, nuanced investigation... She shares Michel Foucault's interest in tracing the genealogy of our cultural discourses on sex and gender and the assumptions of power hidden within them, but while Foucault paints in broad brush strokes, traversing centuries and cultures, Irvine's study is much more manageable, and, as a result, more convincing."-Arlene J. Stein, American Journal of Sociology "This deeply perceptive history and critique of American sexology illustrates graphically social historians' conviction that the subject of sexuality can be an important avenue to decoding culture. Irvine's historical focus on the efforts of sexologists to professionalize in the course of the last century is a treasure trove of information that will inform scholars with a wide range of interests. There are some excellent insights... [Irvine's] contribution is most fresh and significant."-Regina Morantz-Sanchez, American Studies
Table of ContentsPreface to the Revised and Expanded EditionIntroductionPart I. The Emergence of Scientific Sexology1. Toward a "Value-Free" Science of Sex: The Kinsey Reports2. Science, Medicine, and a MarketPart II. Sexology at a Crossroad: Consolidation and Confusion3. The Humanistic Theme in Sexology4. Sexual Science and Sexual Politics5. Conflict and Accommodation: Who Defines Sexuality?Part III. The Practice of Scientific Sexology: Sex Therapy and Gender Research6. Repairing the Conjugal Bed: The Clinical Practice of Modern Sex Therapy7. Regulated Passions: The Invention of Inhibited Sexual Desire and Sex Addiction8. Boys Will Be Girls: Contemporary Research on GenderConclusionAfterwordNotesIndex
