History Of Human Sexuality
Sexuality has had a significant role in the flow of human history. It has been used as a means of control; form of art or in the form of science played a role in influencing the lives of people right through human history. Sexuality has been altered by the behavior and beliefs of people. Sexuality has also changed the way people behave and their beliefs. From the dawn of creation, the customs of disparate people starting with the most primitive to the modern civilized society has always looked upon sexuality as the guiding light with regard to their relation with the surroundings and the supernatural being. Sexuality has been used down history as a means of demonstrating a statement of right too. An example of this can be seen in what the women known as flappers did in the 1920's in America. (History of Sexuality)
After the end of World War two with the Allied powers securing victory and women gaining the right to exercise their choice in elections, women in America began to stage a cultural revolution. They made fashion the core of their challenge to the conventional norms of conduct as was acceptable in those days. Customs that may be looked upon as banal today have had a significant role in the history of sexuality and can still be seen in our lives. A look at homosexuality tells us that it is a sexual attraction between persons of the same sex. The term Lesbianism is used to define the affective sexual relationship that happens between women and another name is Saphism, which is derived from the name of the Greek poet Safo. (History of Sexuality)
History and sexuality are inter-related down the times and to the extent that confuses issues, yet there are better and real reasons for this stress on sexuality. The written documentation of history tends to push sexuality into obscurity. When we look at why our ancestors clothed themselves the belief is that they did so keeping in mind protection from the elements of weather and with a great level of concern for their genitals. Genitals even though they were thus hardly covered were not thought of as obscene. In real sense the written records make it very convenient to forget the Phallic Cult-Object. One of the oldest forms of religious worship may have been the worship of the Phallic Cult-Object. In many of the ancient cultures irrespective of where they were located sex was very often quite a focal point in activities. Epic narratives talk about warriors turned heroes being the beholden of prostitutes. (A Rough Guide on History and Human Sexuality)
A look at the decorations and paintings on the ceramics down ages show regular moments of activity of the people with suggestion of sex in them. Men and mythological creatures were also depicted mingled in a fantasy of orgies. A look at the clothing worn in ancient Egypt has it that Egyptians used quite loose see-through garments to feel comfortable in the extreme heat. Again the Egyptian women are seen as one of the earliest to use to cosmetics, which was later taken up by many of the other civilizations. These trends in aesthetics spread to all parts of the Mediterranean region and were taken up quite popularly by the upper levels of Roman society. The Greeks looked upon nudity with a lot of respect and even bisexuality was tolerated in the ancient Greek societies. Looking at the Romans where on the whole there were strong views on the exposure of the human body and on prostitution. (A Rough Guide on History and Human Sexuality)
Still prostitution became a regular institution in human history and many attractive women from various walks of life were attracted to it. The Romans also had the Saturnalia with orgiastic activity, which sometimes became so extremely violent and luscious that it almost came to be banned. This took place just as Christianity started to establish itself. Christianity did incorporate many of the rites and ceremonies taken from the Roman religious services. There were theoretical elements in this that concerned the subjection of women and the Church did contribute to it in a very large way. This was owing to the traditional stance of the Church against sexuality. Christian teachings do not show any justification for sexuality except for the reproduction of the species, whereby they multiply and fill the earth. Though the Church has always taken a hostile stand on sexuality there are other...
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In spite of the fact that there may have existed two great cultures that once widely accepted homosexuality as mere manifestation of the human sexuality, the Western world inherited a traditional negative attitude when it comes to this. Parents may accept their sons' and daughter's homosexuality and learn how to live with it, but they will never feel happy about it. Why? Authors like Greenberg (1988), Davies (1982) and Gayle
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