Sexology in Culture

Book excerpt: Sexology in Culture examines the impact of key writings by sexologists on English-speaking culture from the 1880s to the early 1940s. How influential a field was sexology during this period, and how much power did sexologists wield? What was the impact of their work on popular and official attitudes to sex? In this volume, Lucy Bland and Laura Doan have brought together leading historians of sex, cultural and literary critics, and scholars in gay, lesbian and queer studies, to reassess current debates on sexology in light of its history. Issues addressed include the relation of "sexual science" to the law, government policy, journalism, eugenical programmes, marriage and sex manuals, and literary representation. Other chapters map out new readings of transsexuality and bisexuality, and the centrality of race within sexological discourse. This book will be of interest to all those concerned with understanding modern sexual discourse in its historical context, and will be essential reading for researchers, teachers, and students interested in the history and study of sex.