Diana Muuru

B CORE 115 G

February 2020

Writing Assignment: Précis

Précis of “Thinking Sex” by Gayle S. Rubin

Parker, Richard G., et al. “Thinking Sex: Notes for a Radical Theory of the Politics of

Sexuality.” Culture, Society and Sexualilty: a Reader, Routledge, 2007, pp. 143–172,

http://sites.middlebury.edu/sexandsociety/files/2015/01/Rubin-Thinking-Sex.pdf.

The author of Thinking Sex: Notes for a Radical Theory of the Politics of Sexuality is

Gayle S. Rubin, who is an American cultural anthropologist and activist. She is also a professor

at the University of Michigan and teaches anthropology, women studies, and comparative

literature. She has also written on other various topics concerning sex and women studies.

Rubin’s writing “Thinking Sex” is only one chapter of the book “Culture, Society and Sexualilty:

a Reader” which was published in 2007. The essay’s argument as a whole is that in society sex

has become institutionalized in different forms but the most being within politics, sexuality itself

has become a way to police what is not seen as morally correct. This being said, the main claim

of the essay is that sexuality has its own section of politics, forms of injustice and discrimination,
and ways to suppress people. Background information about historical events and happenings as

well as information from other scholarly sources were used as evidence to support the argument

of the essay. One of the main points of this essay is that sexual interactions that didn’t fall under

the category of heterosexual and married were all considered bad, taboo, or obscene, Rubin

brings up this point by providing evidence of how anti- obscenity laws were passed, homosexual

communities were abolished, Chasity belts were made for children to prevent masturbation, etc.

in past history.

In the reading “Thinking Sex” by Gayle Rubin, the politics involving and around sex are

discussed, one of which addresses the law enforcement that took place in the 1800s, “The first

federal anti- obscenity law in the United States was passed in 1873… The law also banned

contraceptive or abortifacient drugs and devices and information about them (Beserra, Franklin,

and Clevenger, 1977). In the wake of the federal statute, most states passed their own anti-

obscenity laws” (Rubin 144). This quote states that one of the anti-obscenity laws, which refers

to laws that prohibit indecent or immoral behavior or things that are deemed sexually

inappropriate, were that women were not allowed to use contraceptive drugs to keep them from

having children after having unprotected sex. I directly connected this to the issue of abortion

laws that are at the forefront of politics still to this day. Just as the quote stated that most states

passed their own anti-obscenity laws, the same is true for states today. For example, abortions

are banned in some states in America, such as Alabama, if a woman who lived in this state

wanted to have an abortion, she would be forced the go to another state to have one.
 The essay was published in 2007 and it has not been revised, however Rubin did present

somewhat of a reflection to the essay called "Blood under the Bridge: Reflections on ‘Thinking

Sex’". This source might be useful when discussing the role sexuality plays in today’s society

especially in politics. This essay offers a way of thinking about sexuality not for just want it is

but the usual stigmatism around certain topics concerning sexuality within politics and how the

two are connected. The audience can be students or anyone who wants to be more

knowledgeable about how sexuality is used and viewed as in society as a whole. This essay

covers a good portion of information from history. The essay is scholarly because the author

Gayle S. Rubin would be known to be an expert in the field of sexuality in society because her

credentials include being an American cultural anthropologist and she is also a professor who

teaches anthropology, women studies, and comparative literature. The publisher of the book that

contains the essay is Routledge. Evidence from other seemingly scholarly sources that are cited

within the essay was given. The writing has plenty of evidence to support the argument and was

handled well, there are no unsupported claims or misuse of evidence. This essay was written to

discuss the different ideological and political formations of sexual views in society and its

intervention is to inform the reader about how sexuality is incorporated with politics and the

legal system within the discipline of anthropology when it comes to the radical theory of the

politics of sexuality. There is no biased perse in the essay rather information is being presented

about a topic the author feels should be studied. Rubin makes a reasoned argument by providing

historical information that illustrates or proves the argument being made that sex has a direct

connection with politics. This source is important because it provides information and examples
of how sexuality has been institutionalized by society and how people have been discriminated

against and stripped of rights of assembly, and how politics have brought injustice when it comes

to people and their sexuality. Disciplines and areas of study that might use this essay would be

anthropology, and gender and race studies. Some people in particular that may benefit the most

from reading this essay are members of the LGBTQ community because it shows how far

they’ve come in obtained rights for the community and also could educate them on the injustices

the community had to face in the past. This essay might also help the LGBTQ community by

providing past evidence of discrimination and injustice which could help aid them in their

continued fight for justice and equal rights. An implication to this quote would be that law

enforcement today is still defining what is sexually acceptable and what a woman chooses to do

with her body, this ties into the topic of this class because these anti-obscenity laws are examples

of how women are sexually oppressed through politics because of their gender.

Précis 2

Citation: Marlon M. Bailey and L. H. Stallings, "Antiblack Racism and the Metalanguage of

Sexuality," Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society 42, no. 3 (Spring 2017): 614-621.

The authors of the essay "Antiblack Racism and the Metalanguage of Sexuality" are Dr.

Marlon Bailey and Dr. LaMonda Horton-Stallings. Baily is an associate professor of women and

gender studies at Arizona State University. He got his Ph.D in African American Studies at the
University of California, Berkeley in 2005. He also has a M.F.A in Theatre Performance and a

B.A Theatre/Speech Education. Bailey also has written his own book called "Butch Queens Up

in Pumps: Gender, Performance, and Ballroom Culture in Detroit" which was awarded the Alan

Bray Memorial Book Prize. Dr. Stallings is Chair and Professor of African American Studies at

Georgetown University. She has written two books called Mutha’ is Half a Word!: Intersections

of Folklore, Vernacular, Myth, and Queerness in Black Female Culture and Funk the Erotic:

Transaesthetics and Black Sexual Cultures which received the Alan Bray Memorial Award and

the 2016 Emily Toth Award for Best Single Work by One or More Authors in Women’s Studies.

She has also published various other essays in African American Review, South-Atlantic

Quarterly, and the Journal of Bisexuality and more. This essay is a review and assessment of

Evelyn Higginbotham’s article, “African American Women’s History and the Metalanguage of

Race” which discusses the lives and culture of black women within history and women studies.

The authors analyze the value and implications of Higginbotham’s theory for black sexuality

studies and queer-of-color critiques while introducing the antiblack racism functions as a

metalanguage of sexuality and its impact on black communities. The essay’s main claim is that

there needs to be more attention paid to how the racism that black people face within society

occur through the metalanguage of sexuality, which is argued to be how black people are

affected through their experiences with forms of race, class and gender oppression while

simultaneously working through their own sexual self-making. The evidence presented

throughout the essay to support this claim was Higginbotham’s article that was cited within the

essay along with several other scholarly sources that were referenced for information.
 This essay explores the social conditions imposed by black sexuality and the racialized

sexual oppression of black people within African American studies which is expressed in the

quote that reads, "Patton explains in her essay that, conversely, in recent years, some black

scholars from a number of disciplines have begun to “break the silence” and conspicuously

engage issues around sexuality confronting black communities. This engagement is not just

focused on the violence, oppression, and trauma; rather, these scholars examine and highlight

eroticism, sexual desire, pleasure, and practice, including nonnormative sexual subjects and

community formations"(Bailey and Stallings). This quotes presents a step forward in

acknowledging the negativity surrounded by black sexuality due to the stereotypes set in today’s

society. So basically a conversation was started about how these stereotypes formed a negative

stigma towards black sexuality and these issues were finally being addressed within African

American studies and black communities. An implication to this quote is that because the silence

is beginning to break this means that open conversation and discourse are created which can lead

to new ways of thinking and form more positive ways about portraying and perceiving black

sexuality.

This essay was published in 2017 and as not been revised since then. This writing might

be useful for topics such as black culture, African American studies, as well as women studies.

The writing also offers a way of thinking about how the racism that black people face within

society occur through the metalanguage of sexuality. The audience seems to be mainly targeted

towards other black/African American individuals but the essay also seems like it’s for anyone

who wants to be informed on antiblack racism and the metalanguage of sexuality. The essay is
scholarly and peer-reviewed, the author is Dr. Marlon Bailey who has a Ph.D in African

American Studies and is an associate professor of women and gender studies at Arizona State

University. The publisher of this article is Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society. The

evidence that is given is cited from Higginbotham’s article along with other scholarly sources

from different writers were cited within the essay as evidence to support the essay’s argument.

There was no misuse of evidence or unsupported claims and the evidence was handled well. This

essay was written to analyze the value and implications of Higginbotham’s theory for black

sexuality studies and queer-of-color critiques while introducing the antiblack racism functions as

a metalanguage of sexuality and its impact on black communities. The author develops a

reasoned argument by using Higginbotham’s writing as evidence to support the claim. I wouldn’t

say the essay is particularly bias but you are definitely able to comprehend the author’s own

belief and the essay is objective in the sense that the author was trying to make a point. This

essay is important because it provides information and evaluates how antiblack racism functions

in society impact black lives which can help raise awareness so people can stay informed. An

area of study that might use this essay are African American studies. This essay could help other

people of color be more knowledgeable about the metalanguage of sexuality pertaining to black

lives. This essay can be used to think about how black sexuality and gender are expressed and

influenced in society.

Précis 3
Citation: Stallings, L. H. "Hip Hop and the Black Ratchet Imagination." Palimpsest: A Journal on

Women, Gender, and the Black International, vol. 2 no. 2, 2013, p. 135-139. Project

MUSE, doi:10.1353/pal.2013.0026.

The essay “Hip Hop and the Black Ratchet Imagination” was published in 2013 in the

journal called Palimpsest: A Journal on Women, Gender, and the Black International. The author

of this essay is Dr. LaMonda Horton-Stallings who is Chair and Professor of African American

Studies at Georgetown University. She has written two books called Mutha’ is Half a Word!:

Intersections of Folklore, Vernacular, Myth, and Queerness in Black Female Culture and Funk

the Erotic: Transaesthetics and Black Sexual Cultures which received the Alan Bray Memorial

Award and the 2016 Emily Toth Award for Best Single Work by One or More Authors in

Women’s Studies. She has also published various other essays in African American

Review, South-Atlantic Quarterly, and the Journal of Bisexuality and more. The essay discusses

the queerness of hip hop as a movement that shaped black politics. The main claim of this

writing is that hip hop majorly contributed to black men and women having a transitional space

for sexual leisure in hip hop clubs thus allowing queerness and sexual culture to develop within

the movement. Within this essay, Stallings refers to various scholarly sources from different

writers as evidence to support the essay’s argument such as the book Freedom Dreams: Black

Radical Imagination by Robin D. G. Kelley.

In the essay, Stallings explains the queerness of hip hop when she states, “Hip hop strip

clubs from Diamond Club of Atlanta, King of Diamonds, and Stadium are products shaped as
much by men as women. They are queer spaces where transitional bodies enter and exit. The

enthusiasm and excitement for this music and the space it promotes might be best understood

and comprehended through the lens of queerness and sexual culture, critiques that take into

account distinct and multiple configurations of gender and sexuality as opposed to normative,

heterosexual, and fixed ones” (Stallings). This quote expresses how the music of hip hop brought

together the queer community by providing them with an outlet of sexual leisure. Ultimately, the

hip hop movement created spaces where people of different gender and sexual orientations could

come together and express themselves and have a good time while doing so. An implication to

this quote could be that although hip hop music was centered around the sexual culture of the

queer community, many hip hop artists today, degrade or use sexuality in a derogatory way that

may inflict negativity towards the LGBTQ community. This connects to our course material

because in Berlant and Warner’s writing “Sex in Public”, it was stated how in past history, gay

clubs and bars were being shut down and it was difficult for the LGBTQ community to gather in

queer spaces but this writing shows development within society in regards to being more

accepting of the queer community, especially in hip hop culture.

“Hip Hop and the Black Ratchet Imagination” was published in 2013 and has not been

revised since. This essay might be useful for topics such as black culture or African American

studies. The writing also offers a way of thinking about the queerness of the hip hop movement.

The audience seems to be mainly targeted towards other black/African American individuals but

the essay also seems like it’s for anyone who wants to be informed on hip hop culture. The essay
is scholarly and peer-reviewed, the author is Dr. LaMonda Horton-Stallings who is the Chair and

Professor of African American Studies at Georgetown University and the publisher is

Palimpsest: A Journal on Women, Gender, and the Black International. Various scholarly

sources from different writers were cited within the essay as evidence to support the essay’s

argument such as the book Freedom Dreams: Black Radical Imagination by Robin D. G. Kelley.

There was plenty of outside sources used as evidence and was handled well and there was no

misuse of evidence. This essay was written to evaluate and inform people on black culture

pertaining to the hip hop movement and how it relates to gender and sexuality. The author

develops a reasoned argument based on the sources she provides. The objective of this essay was

to present an analysis on the queerness of hip hop. This essay is important because it provides

information and evaluates things in black culture which need be addressed and talked about so

people can stay informed. An area of study that might use this essay are African American

studies. This essay could help other people of color be more knowledgeable about subjects in

black culture. This essay can be used to think about how sexuality and gender were portrayed,

expressed, and influenced in the hip hop movement.

Précis 4

Citation: Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. “Sexuality .” Gendered Lives: Intersectional

Perspectives, Oxford University Press, 2020, pp. 138–167.

 The chapter Sexuality is within the book Gendered Lives: Intersectional Perspectives,

written by Gwyn Kirk and Margo Okazawa-Rey, which is an interdisciplinary text that is

centered around women’s and gender studies and examines the diversity of the lives of women in

America today when it comes to gender expression, sexuality, class, etc. The first author Gwyn

Kirk is a scholar-activist that has taught women’s and gender studies at US universities for 30

years and has a PhD in sociology from the London School of Economics. The second author

Margo Okazawa-Rey is a professor at Fielding Graduate University and is a social activist who

holds a doctorate from Harvard University's Graduate School of education and is also a founding

member of the Combahee River Collective. This book was published by Oxford University Press

in 2020. The chapter’s main argument is that when it comes to sexuality, individuals’ life

experiences and their behavior and attitude towards sexuality are impacted personally and

politically in society. The main claim to this chapter is that stereotypes are set by society based

on heteropatriarchy and heteronormativity which inflict certain beliefs and norms on society and

inforce the dominance of male leadership and superiority. The source uses evidence such as

media representations and writings from experts in fields such as psychology, sociology, and

anthropology to illustrate how these stereotypes are portrayed in society. For example, the

chapter uses the power dynamic between Anna and Christian Grey in the novel series Fifty

Shades of Grey to describe how submissiveness is expected from a female and even when a

female tries to refuse this stereotype, the attempt is willfully ignored and she is pursued after.

As this chapter reflects upon how individuals perceive and identify with sexuality within

society, Gwyn Kirk and Margo Okazawa-Rey introduce concepts that are imperative to
understanding how sex ties into our daily lives, especially when an example of heteronormativity

is revealed when the authors state that, “As sex objects in advertising or popular culture,

feminine-looking women are commonly portrayed as child-like or doll-like playthings, or as

waiting for male heroes to notice them. These images flow from and reinforce patriarchal

constructions of gender and sexuality that assume: heterosexuality is natural for women and

men; men are the initiators in heterosexual encounters; and make sexuality is forceful and

assertive. Traditionally, a woman has been expected to remain a virgin until marriage, untouched

expect by her husband” (Kirk and Okazawa-Rey 142). What the authors are trying to explain is

that these gender roles which are rooted from heteronormativity, have been attached to the

normal way of living or the ideal standard of society for so long that other aspects of life

including marriage roles, laws, and how the government runs the country have been embedded or

have been based around the notion of heterosexual culture. This being one of the major reasons

why anything other than straight is seen as different, out of the ordinary, or taboo. An

implication of this quote would be that because people have been trained to think or believe that

a certain family structure or “practical” relationship is the norm of society, people who do not

conform to this ideal of heteronormativity are to be seen and treated differently from the rest of

society which leads to discrimination and hate crimes. This quote engages the course material

because its highlights how gendered power is used to control society and suppress the female

gender. This connects to our course readings because similar ideas about sexuality are expressed

in writings such as “Sex in Public”, by Berlant and Warner which addresses how sex is portrayed

in public in relation to nationality, education, businesses, society as a whole and more.

 The book Gendered Lives: Intersectional Perspectives was published this year in 2020

and has not been revised, this is the most updated edition. The chapter in this book is useful

when discussing the topics of women sexuality and queer sexuality. The chapter offers ways of

thinking about sexuality in the sense of how it connects to our daily lives personally and

politically and how sex plays into the heteropatriarchy of society. The main audience of this

reading are students who want to gain knowledge on women’s and gender studies. Since this is a

very recent publication, the scope of the information or history the chapter covers is within the

past century up until recent years. This is a scholarly source because it is a published book by the

Oxford University Press and written by the authors Gwyn Kirk and Margo Okazawa-Rey. Kirk

has a PhD in sociology and has been teaching women’s and gender studies at various universities

for 30 years. She has also written articles on topics such as feminism for a range of anthologies

and journals and is also the co-author of the book Women’s Lives: Multicultural Perspectives.

Okazawa-Rey has received her PhD from Harvard University and is a professor at Fielding

Graduate University. She is also an activist who is well known for her transnational feminist

advocacy and has also written another published book with Kirk called Women’s Lives:

Multicultural Perspective. This source gives various pieces of evidence from different experts

within fields of study such as psychology, sociology, and anthropology, other writers and

educators that provide information in the realm of sexuality were also referenced. Throughout

the chapter, plenty of evidence was provided in order to support the argument and was handled

nicely, therefore there are no unsupported claims or misuse of evidence. This chapter was written

to inform students and go behind the surface of what sexuality means to the common individual

and provide another educational way of thinking about sexuality. There is no particular bias
within this chapter meaning that it’s not completely one-sided but there is a clear line drawn to

show the authors’ stance concerning sexuality in society and the evidence used provides the

backbone for the reasoned argument. This source is important because it introduces new ways of

thinking about sexuality in society to mainly the young, impressionable minds of students that

can redirect ideas and start conversations that can help better society. Areas of study that might

use this chapter are the sociology of sex and women’s studies. This reading can be used to think

about how sex relates to our lives personally and politically in America by how certain sexual

stereotypes towards gender and people of color have an impact on personal experiences and the

way society views individuals in the world. This alternative viewpoint can be useful in

identifying the stereotypes inflicted upon our own lives and how we can work together to

redefine or break the stereotypes. This new way of thinking about how sexuality pertains to

society can be used to convince people that sexuality is a form of gendered power by providing

examples of how the power dynamic is presented in ordinary life and how people can apply it to

their own lives.

Précis 5

Citation: Matebeni, Z. (2013). INTIMACY, QUEERNESS, RACE. Cultural Studies., 27(3),

404-417.
 South African sociologist, activist, and writer Zethu Matebeni is the author of the article

“INTIMACY, QUEERNESS, RACE” which was published by the online journal Cultural

Studies in February 2013. Matebeni studied sociology at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan

University and earned her interdisciplinary PhD at the Witwatersrand Institute for Social and

Economic Research. She is an associate professor at the University of the Western Cape and has

received many research fellowships. The article’s argument is that art representations of the

black female body can help change the depiction or negative stigma of the violent colonial

history that is inflicted upon black female bodies and how their bodies our connected to pain,

torture, and seen as pornographic. The main claim of this article is that the representation of the

black female body through different art medias can create new positive ways of thinking about

the body and creating discourse on the pleasure, beauty, and the erotic in regards to the African

American female body. A subclaim to Matebeni’s writing would be that the artwork of queer

black female bodies forces you to look within your own self intimacy in a public sphere and

explore how you view and can connect to the art in that moment. The evidence given comes

from many different scholarly sources that are referenced and cited within the article to provide

support for the argument because the information cited discusses how black female bodies have

been objectified. Artwork from different artists is also referenced as examples that show the

female bodies in a more positive light.

This article discusses how the female black body is portrayed in society and also how it is

depicted in various art pieces and how we can engage ourselves with the art on an intimate and

eye-opening level. Within the article, Zethu Matebeni refers to how Lulu Xingwana, the South

African Minister of Arts and Culture reacts to a piece of artwork displayed at the Innovative
Women art exhibition when she writes, “The minister’s gaze and self-looking is narrowed and

clouded by histories of the violation of black female bodies. On seeing two black female bodies

together and undressed, she could only imagine pain, violation, torture and a version of

pornography. She is unable to see, or rejects the capacity in herself to see, in the images pleasure,

joy, beauty, intimacy and eroticism, which are at play between two female bodies” (Matebeni

405). This quote states how Xingwana’s interpretation of the art was influenced by the

stereotype of black female bodies that have originated from the historical background of African

Americans, particularly slavery which is connected to negative thoughts of violence and torture

inflicted upon black bodies. Essentially, because these stereotypes are still attached to the black

female body, she couldn’t see past the thought of oversexualizing the bodies and connected the

image to a negative connotation and because of this preconceived perception set upon by society

she was not able to see the beauty and the erotic power within the photograph. This relates to our

course material because this scenario ties back into how racialized sexuality is being presented in

the form of deep rooted stereotypes that have been embedded in today’s societal thinking and

have created negative misinterpretations of black sexuality. An implication to this quote would

be that black women still face this discrimination over their body types because of these

stereotypes even today.

This article was published in 2013 by the academic journal Cultural Studies and has not

been revised since. This source might be useful information when dealing with topics such as

women’s and gender studies or black female sexuality. Matebeni’s writing offers a new way of

thinking about how the female black body is portrayed in society and how that perception can be
changed by the beauty of art. The main audience for the article would be students and people

who study the meanings behind artwork. The article refers back to colonial history when

discussing perceptions of the black female body. The article is scholarly because it has been

peer-reviewed and has been published in an academic journal. The author is Zethu Matebeni who

has studied sociology, has an interdisciplinary PhD, and teaches as a professor at the University

of the Western Cape. The publisher of this article is the online journal Cultural Studies. The

evidence given comes from many different scholarly sources as well as artwork from different

artists that are referenced and cited within the article to provide support for the argument. The

writing definitely has enough evidence to back up the claim and argument of the author and the

evidence is handled well. Overall, there were no unsupported claims or misuse of evidence

within the article. This article was written as a way to introduce a new way of thinking about the

black female body through art without all the negative stigma that has been surrounded by it

from colonial history. There is no particular bias within the writing, a reasoned argument is

presented with the use of evidence and scholarly knowledge. The article INTIMACY,

QUEERNESS, RACE is important because it provides an alternative way to view black female

bodies and promotes a new way of thinking about the bodies and moves away from the negative

hypersexual stereotypes that comes from the part of black history in which black bodies were

objectified, violated, and mistreated. Some areas of study that might use this article are the

sociology of sex, women and gender studies, and African American studies. This article is useful

because it can help open the minds of young black females to see themselves differently rather

than the way their looked at in society. This source can also be used to think about how

racialized sexuality invokes perceptions of people’s body images and how the media

oversexualizes female bodies, specifically the black female body in America.