A Western Lens Provides a Western Frame: A Literature Review of Human Sexuality Across Time and Culture
Date
2024-05
Authors
Mabilia, Katlyn
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Abstract
Human sexuality is a topic of interest that is gaining traction as time progresses. Understanding human sexuality remains a challenge because of humanity’s proneness toward ethnocentrism and the generalizability of research findings on the topic. This literature review examines the human sexual experience in context or setting. The literature on this topic published in Psychology and Anthropology databases, popular textbooks, along with the works of Sir Richard Burton and additional contemporary Victorian authors, has been written from a Western perspective which has framed the way we have viewed human sexuality across time and context. This literature review will begin with background information on the existing theories for how human sexuality has been approached in social sciences, provide some insight on the variance of sexual attitudes and behaviors between and within cultures, show changes in human sexuality over time, identify universals which may exist across time and context, and give examples of factors which have controlled and given shape to sexual expression. The focus of this research is to summarize and compare pre-existing literature, often outdated and biased, and call for fresh additional intercultural research to be conducted through a more objective lens.
Description
Keywords
western, human, sex, sexuality, culture, time, attitudes, behaviors
Citation
Mabilia, K. (2024). A western lens provides a western frame: A literature review of human sexuality across time and culture. Honors College, Texas State University.