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Sexualities in Context: A Social Perspective, by Rebecca F. Plante. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2006. 328 pp. $27.95 paper. ISBN: 0813342937.
The market for introductory level sociology of sexualities texts has long been dominated by psychological and/or physiological approaches. While sociological studies of sexualities have come into their own, these research-based monographs and theoretical works are difficult to use at the introductory level. Rebecca F. Plante's Sexualities in Context intends to provide a solution to this nagging problem. Her social-constructionist, popular culture-oriented textbook with its informal style and focus on critical thinking does just that-mostly.
Divided into three sections that examine issues associated with the study of sexuality, sexual identities, and sexuality in a social context, Plante's book offers an important contribution to teaching at the undergraduate level. Section I provides answers to the question of why sexuality should be studied sociologically, an historical overview of research and perspectives on sexualities, and an extensive introduction to the importance of gender in understanding sexualities. Section II examines socialization, offers more information about the relationship between gender and sexualities and includes an examination of "hooking up." In Section III, Plante discusses contemporary notions of sexual orientation, pornography, and problems associated with the increasing medicalization of sexualities.
Unfortunately, I found her catchy chapter titles and complex system of subheadings confusing and even misleading. For example, "Why Sex Matters: A Brief History of Sexuality" opens with the trials of Oscar Wilde and discusses ancient Greek sexuality, but does not provide a...