Heterosexuality A Feminism & Psychology Reader

"Heterosexuality is a bold and innovative collection of essays that deposes heterosexuality from its dominant, assumed status and treats it as a problematic category in need of examination and explanation. . . . It is a book that challenges the reader to examine their beliefs and assumptions, as well as to think critically about a typically assumed and therefore silent identity. Heterosexuality has spawned a plethora of questions in my mind and left me with an insatiable appetite to know more. Perhaps this, better than anything, is a successful measure of the provocative and innovative nature of this project." --Angela M. L. Pattatucci in Archives of Sexual Behavior What is heterosexuality and why is it so common? What is the nature of heterosexual sex? How does heterosexual activity affect a woman's life? Her relationships with other women? Her political beliefs? Heterosexuality is generally taken for granted, seldom explicitly addressed. In this group of articles, leading feminists, psychologists, and activists explore the personal and the political implications of their own heterosexuality as an institution. They consider the extent to which feminism and heterosexuality are compatible and the complex interrelationships among sexual behavior, categories, and identities. Acknowledging the interactions between heterosexism and other oppressions, they point to the contradictions between heterosexual desire and heterosexual coercion, and between heterosexual privilege and women's traditional roles within the family. Both academics and students in psychology, women's studies, gender studies, human sexuality, and sociology will find this volume a fascinating and valuable resource. "This book is a marvelous blend of autobiography and theory, the story and the story unravelled--the readers like the authors, will confront the taken-for-granted and grow from the experience." --Barbara Katz Rothman, City University of New York and author of Recreating MotherhoodWilkinson, Sue is the author of 'Heterosexuality A Feminism & Psychology Reader' with ISBN 9780803988231 and ISBN 0803988230.