The `Homosexual Role' After 30 Years

An Appreciation of the Work of Mary McIntosh

Datos Bibliográficos

ID18949385
AutoresJ Weeks (0000-0001-7725-1922, London South Bank University, autor de correspondencia)
Año1998
Volumen1
Número2
Páginas131-152
Fecha de publicación1998-05-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaSexualities (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1363-4607 • E-ISSN: 1461-7382
EditorialSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/136346098001002001
OpenAlexW2016380375
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas11
Referencias citadas24

There is a tendency to efface the theoretical origins of social constructionist approaches to sexuality, with an accompanying tendency to privilege the contribution of Michel Foucault and his followers. Without in any way minimizing Foucault's significance, it is important to recover the earlier attempts to theorize the social and cultural shaping of sexuality in general and homosexuality in particular. In this context Mary McIntosh's article `The Homosexual Role', published 30 years ago, stands out with founding significance. After outlining the central argument of McIntosh's essay, this paper suggests that it is best understood in terms of three key oppositions: between homosexual behaviour and homosexual category; between the pre-modern and the modern; and between heterosexuality and homosexuality. Within this framework, McIntosh's essay can be seen as a crucial moment in the shaping of social constructionism. It is also a key text in McIntosh's own influential body of work, which has consistently attempted to denaturalize the social

Epistemology · Heterosexuality · Homosexuality · Human sexuality · Lesbian · Queer theory · Social constructionism · Social science · Sociology · Strict constructionism · African Sexualities and LGBTQ+ Issues · Feminism, Gender, and Sexuality Studies · Gender Studies · History · Law · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy · Philosophy