The Story of Sexual Identity: Narrative Perspectives on the Gay and Lesbian Life CoursePhillip L. Hammack, Bertram J. Cohler When viewed through the broad lens of social history, the story of sexual identity across place and time is infused with extraordinary contextual specificity. Different cultures in different historical eras have organized human sexuality in a multiplicity of diverse forms and functions, constructing stories of sexual identity that serve a larger social structure with master narratives of what it means to be a member of a given community, culture, and society. In examining the shifting narratives of sexual identity in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and their impact on the process of human social development, this edited volume fuses historical, cultural, and psychological perspectives on human sexuality to articulate a rigorous interdisciplinary approach to the study of sexual lives. Recognizing the historical and cultural relativity of life-course development, the contributors seek to offer a comprehensive perspective on the ways in which identity is inherently a process of co-construction between individual and culture, thereby positing a significant role for the social in the development of sexual identity. Following a general introduction in which the volume editors explain the utility of a narrative approach to the study of sexual identity, the volume is organized into sections which deal with specific life-span considerations of sexuality: childhood and adolescence, adulthood, marriage and parenthood, and aging. |
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adolescents adult African American AIDS American Psychological Association attraction baby boom bisexual Black LGBs boys challenges chapter coherence cohort coming-out stories condom conflict construction context course cultural Czech Czech Republic D’Augelli Dara described developmental discourse drug ego development emotional eudaimonia experience explore feel friends gay and bisexual gay and lesbian gay community gay identity Gay Liberation gay/bisexual gender Hammack hedonic Herdt heterosexual historical HIV-positive homophobia identified individuals Internet interviews Journal Journal of Homosexuality lesbian and gay lesbian community lesbian couples lesbian friendships lesbian identity lesbian relationships LGBT lives male McAdams meaning midlife multiple one’s parents participants partner personal narrative perspective political positive premenstrual syndrome Psychology queer reflect reported respondents risk role same-sex desire sense sexual identity sexual identity development sexual orientation social stigmatized talk tell tion transgender understanding University Press Ussher women York youth