Exam 9: Sexuality

In the research by anthropologist Denise Brennan, both Dominican sex workers and the sex tourists have fantasies that define their work. What do many sex workers fantasize about?

Pornography has been attacked, censored, and subjected to legal controls for a long time. Each attempt seems to result in an increase in its dissemination and consumption. Why do governments make such efforts to stop pornography?

According to Chrys Ingraham, the heterosexual imagery in "white weddings" makes the patterns of heterosexuality seem natural and unchanging, rather than cultural. Which wedding ritual helps normalize the idea that men have more power than women?

For the Victorians, masturbation was a form of self-abuse and seen as dangerous. Why was this particular sexual activity strongly condemned?

Compare and contrast the perspective on human sexuality offered by evolutionary biologists and cultural constructionists. What factors do evolutionary biologists study to learn more about human sexuality? How does this compare to the factors an anthropologist with a cultural constructionist perspective might investigate? Which approach do you find most valuable?

Cultural and governmental institutions define the age of consent, how marriage and divorce can be obtained, and reproductive rights such as abortion. In regulating these things, what are cultural and government institutions attempting to do?

Which of the following statements about the mati of Suriname is correct?

In contemporary U.S. weddings, one common ritual is the act of the father "giving away" the bride. How does this tend to perpetuate a power dynamic that places women at a disadvantage?

Mati may engage in sexual relationships with which of these groups?

In White Wedding: Romancing Heterosexuality in Popular Culture (2008), sociologist Chrys Ingraham asserts that brides are not born but rather made. Identify some examples of the enculturation process. Discuss the implications of the romanticized ideal of weddings. How do these ideals differ from the reality of the "white wedding" as they intersect with gender, class, and racial inequalities?

The mati in Suriname form intimate spiritual, emotional, and sexual relationships with other women but may maintain a "visiting" relationship with men for the purposes of children and economics. To some, this might suggest that these women are what?

Mapping the global scope of diverse human sexual beliefs and behaviors, or ethnocartography, offers the chance for a deeper analysis of one's own culture. What else does such work provide?

Roger Lancaster found that in Nicaragua, men who received anal intercourse were stigmatized while men who penetrated other men during anal intercourse were still considered properly masculine. What does this reveal about the concept of machismo?

Which term describes people whose sexual attraction to others can include both sexes?

Some studies have found that 61 percent of men believe women give consent nonverbally through body language, though only 10 percent of women say they give consent through body language cues. To which issue are these finds related?

Which of these best describes sexuality?

How did European colonial powers use sexuality in their strategy to control colonized populations?

In addition to humans, which other mammals engage in sexual activity for fun rather than exclusively for procreation?

Human beings have a libido-a degree of sexual and erotic drive-that varies widely. Which term refers to individuals with no erotic interest in others?

Using historical and cross-cultural examples provided in the text, evaluate the anthropological approach to sexuality. What do historical and cross-cultural cases of sexuality tell us about sexual norms? Did you learn anything in this chapter about sexuality that you had previously taken for granted? If so, what did you learn? If not, provide an example of something discussed in the chapter that you think someone might be surprised to learn.