Questioning the Western Canon of the Sociology of Sexuality: Academic and Activist Impacts

• In Event: 306 - Section on Sociology of Sexualities Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 13. Sexual Regulation

Abstract

The sociology of sexuality is traditionally framed through a Western- and white-centric lens. Sociologists employ theories and models created by Western men (and sometimes women), and examine communities and identities from the perspective of white experiences. Though there have been significant postcolonial, global, and multiracial movements in this field, the work produced is often seen as separate and secondary to mainstream sociology. In this paper, I suggest that sociology must incorporate non-white and non-Western theories and experiences into discussions of sexuality, beyond the simplistic reasoning that there is a dearth of work on it. I suggest three main reasons: Firstly, canonical theories are based upon a select group of people and are not easily transferred. By not factoring in race and nationality, we assume that Western and white communities are not themselves shaped by the forces of empire, colonialism and race, meaning then that these experiences themselves are insufficiently theorised. Secondly, there exists the insidious assumption that the default individual is white and Western, thus excluding and invisibilising other forms of sexuality and by extension, the potential for new and creative sociological theories of sexuality. This assumption leads to the final consequence of the significant harmful ideological consequences to a Western-centric framework, including knowledge production ramifications such as the universality of the Western experience and the overlooking of power imbalances between and within sexual communities; as well as non-academic implications of having specific frameworks of social progress (such as civil rights) being imposed on non-white/Western communities.

Author

• Pamela Mary Devan, Boston University