Küresel Seks

by Dennis Altman, Serpil Çağlayan (Translator)

Uluslararası HIV/ AIDS politikaları, küresel gey/lezbiyen hareketleri, homoseksüel-heteroseksüel tartışmaları, "geleneksel eşcinsellik", cinsiyet eşitsizliği, ürüme politikaları, kadınlara yönelik şiddet, pornografi, çocuk fuhşu, ahlak paniği, "seks işçileri"... Hızlı küreselleşme süreci sadece dünya ekonomisini değiştirmiyor, insanoğlunun cinsellik deneyimlerine de yepyeni biçimler veriyor. Bangkok'ta bir Aman turist internette tanıştığı bir fahişeyle pazarlık ediyor. Fiji'de genç kadınlar televizyonda gördükleri incecik modelleri taklit uğruna yemek yemiyor. Ağlamaklı Monica Levinsky'nin görüntüleri CNN yeryüzünün en ücra köşelerine ulaşıyor. Küresel Seks, küreselleşme ve cinsellik sorunlarına doğrudan el atan belli başlı ilk çalışma. Avusturalya, La Trobe Üniversitesi, Sosyoloji, Siyaset ve Antropoloji fakültesi profesörü Dennis Altman, bu çalışmalarında BM'deki kürtaj tartışmalarından çingenelere uygulanan "zorunlu kürtaja", geleneksel ahlak mücadelesinden kadın sünnetlerine, geleneksel evliliği reddeden Japon kadınlarından Dünya Fahişeler Kongresi'ne uzanan bir çok farklı konuyu ele alıyor, zengin örneklerle sunuyor. Altman'a göre: "Daha adil ve eşitlikçi bir dünya için verilecek mücadelede cinsellik hem bir savaş meydanı, hem de meşru bir siyasal faaliyet alanı."

Genres: Nonfiction, Sexuality, Sociology

254 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2001

About the author

Dennis Altman is a Professorial Fellow in Human Security at La Trobe University, Melbourne, and was Visiting Professor of Australian Studies at Harvard.

He has written eleven books exploring sexuality and politics, and their inter-relationship in Australia, the United States, and now globally. These include The Homosexualization of America, AIDS and the New Puritanism, Rehearsals for Change, The Comfort of Men (a novel), and his memoir Defying Gravity. His book Global Sex (Chicago University Press) has been translated into five languages. Most recently he published Gore Vidal’s America (Polity), 51st State? (Scribe)and The End of the Homosexual? (UQP).

In 2008, Altman was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia.

Reviews

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite this book having been published in 2001 and my reading it 19 years later, its concepts and insights are still incredibly relevant to today’s world. Global Sex has by far been my greatest investment. It discusses the ethical and moral issues the world faces, explaining that they are more complicated than meets the eye. As said, “…the institutions which link sex and politics are themselves being globalized, as concerns around gender, sexuality, and the body play a role in the construction of international political, social, and economic regimes.” Continuing to then discuss prostitution – why it exists and the issues surrounding the industry. The topic of inequality between men and women is discussed. AIDS is then described as marked by the significance of gender, class, and race. Identity politics is then reviewed as born of sexuality and gender resulting in social movements. Technology is a key aspect of this book, describing that it creates its own class divides and has a strong influence on the sex industry. It is then discussed that, “The arguments for sexual freedom cannot be divorced from broader arguments about individual rights, social obligations, and the need for legitimate government, able to provide both security and relative equality for its citizens.” Dennis Altman enlightens that the dark issues of the world are tied under religion, tradition, and culture – and are often presented as a form of justification to escape corruption.

[Carlos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having been very impressed by Altman’s “Homosexual: Oppression & Liberation” and “The End of the Homosexual?” I have to admit I was a little disappointed with this work. Altman seemed obsessed with buttressing his observations with theories by the likes of Freud, Foucalt, Marx as well as all their commentators. This led to some very tedious parts of the book completely at odds with his more engaging commentary on the role that international trade and American domination have had in bringing sexual politics to the forefront. In this latter aspect, that of a knowledgeable, well-travelled, commentator on the evolving place of women and the LGBT community worldwide, the book shines. Altman is as wonderful as I have ever found him when discussion the larger role that sex workers have sought for themselves in the language of capitalism and individual rights. Unfortunately, the obsession to discuss the implication of his observations against the latest post-modern theory kept cropping up and weakened an otherwise interesting book.

[leigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 80%.

interesting topic but this book definitely felt more like an infodump than an actual analysis. apart from highlighting a few interesting lines here and there, i really did not get much out of this book.

[Ryan Daley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an extremely academic read but fascinating if your are capable of it - detailing the globalization of sexuality and the western migration of how concepts, terminology, and ideas change and evolve cultures and meaning globally. It really realigns your perspective of how the world perceives gender, sexual attraction, and behavior.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Topic sounds very interesting, but I didn't think it was written in a readable way. It was hard for me to get through the book and I don't think I got everything out of it that I wanted to.

[Cori Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 15/20

[Megan]

"read"