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Unit 8
Desire, Women's Rights, and Sex Workers

Unit 8 covers an important topic in comparative sexuality. In Western cultural systems, desire is the motivating force behind romantic love, and individualism is at the center of our cultural system (Dumont 1980). Although most people tend to think of the Middle Ages as a period of intolerance, it was only during the latter portion of medieval times that intolerance existed (Boswell 1980: 269). With the arrival of the Enlightenment and the era of individualism, came the concept of romantic love. The Enlightenment, the notion of romantic love, and the development of individualism occurred hand-in-hand in with what are now Western cultural systems. This historical development shook the foundations of the European family, and marriages once arranged between families to ensure the wise transfer of property became a less worthy practice.

Along with the Enlightenment came exploration and colonialism, and consequently, the concept of romantic love was exported to other cultures. This unit examines the concepts of love and desire in Western and other cultures.

Objectives

When you have completed the study activities for Unit 8, you should be able to

  1. explain the distinctions between bride service, bride wealth, and bride price.
  2. outline the advantages and disadvantages of arranged marriages.
  3. describe marriage systems that are based on concepts other than romantic love.
  4. discuss how romantic love has developed to “maximize submission” and “minimize freedom.”
  5. debate the differences and similarities between romance and sex tourism.
  6. describe the different gender agendas and scripts in the Mehaniku, Indian, Jamaican, and North American cultures.
  7. define the terms “exotic Other” and “authenticity.”
  8. discuss various definitions of sex work and the consequences of each.
  9. discuss the role of ethnography in the study of sex work.
  10. outline the changing views of sexuality, and discuss the moral and ethical challenges inherent in the areas of cybersex and cybersexuality.