Policing Sexuality | The Socjournal

Dr. Michael Sosteric | Oct 06, 2011 | Comments 0

In a moment when state policies seeking to regulate sexual expression have emerged under many cultural and religious banners, affecting a wide range of sexual subjects, Julian Lee gives us an invaluable map to understand this moral policing more clearly and comprehensively.  Policing Sexuality is exceptional among recent works on sexuality, gender and public policy […]

In a moment when state policies seeking to regulate sexual expression have emerged under many cultural and religious banners, affecting a wide range of sexual subjects, Julian Lee gives us an invaluable map to understand this moral policing more clearly and comprehensively.  Policing Sexuality is exceptional among recent works on sexuality, gender and public policy in providing a rich comparative analysis across five major country contexts encompassing both South and North. Lee’s eye for complexity along with his gift for lucid, straightforward prose illuminates “the evolutionary nature of sexuality rights and empowerment” and shows why we must never view culture as static or given, nor human rights as sufficient without political struggle. Rosalind P. Petchesky, Distinguished Professor of Political Science, City University of New York

Policing Sexuality explores the regulation of sexual behaviour and identity by nation states, and questions how and why states have sought to influence and control the sexuality of its citizens.

Julian C. H. Lee presents both theoretical and ethnographic literature, distilling common themes and causes and presenting factors that contribute towards a state’s desire to control both the sexual behaviour and sexual identity of its citizens, such as the influence of colonialism, class, religion and national identity. Featuring five crucial case studies from India, Britain, the USA, Malaysia and Turkey, this fascinating comparative account challenges the coercive control state authority worldwide exert over the sexuality of its citizens.

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Policing Sexuality by Julian C. H .Lee is published by Zed Books, priced £16.99/$29.95, ISBN 9781848138971. For more information or to request a review copy please contact Ruvani de Silva on 020 7837 8466 or [email protected]

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