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Who's Zoomin’ Who? A Feminist, Queer Content Analysis of “Interdisciplinary” Human Sexuality Textbooks

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 March 2020

Marilyn Myerson ,
Sara L. Crawley ,
Erica Hesch Anstey ,
Justine Kessler  and
Cara Okopny
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Abstract

Hundreds of thousands of students in introductory human sexuality classes read textbooks whose covert ideology reinforces dominant heteronormative narratives of sexual dimorphism, male hegemony, and heteronormativity. As such, the process of scientific discovery that proposes to provide description of existing sexual practices, identities, and physiohgies instead succeeds in cultural prescription. This essay provides a feminist, queer content analysis of such textbooks to illuminate their implicit narratives and provide suggestions for writing more feminist, queer-friendly texts.

Type
Research Article
Information
Hypatia , Volume 22 , Issue 1: Special Issue: Writing Against Heterosexism , Winter 2007 , pp. 92 - 113
Copyright
Copyright © 2007 by Hypatia, Inc.

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