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Date Added to
Site: 1st September 2003 |
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Short Summary
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| Title |
Development Myths Around Sex and Sexualities
in the South |
| Author |
Jolly, S. |
| Publication
Date |
June 2003 |
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Short Summary |
In development representations of the South,
sexuality is either ignored, or discussed only in relation to disease
and violence, or reproductive decision making based on material interests.
Mohanty (1991) argues that Western feminist research "colonises" the
diverse realities of "Third World women", by portraying them as homogenous
victims without agency, oppressed by family, culture and religion.
The author argues that development assumptions of a third world sexuality
as being uniformly heterosexual, and to do with either reproduction
or HIV/AIDS but never pleasure, are a similar colonisation. This colonisation
has been contested by small-scale efforts which break through the
homogenised representation of Southern sexualities, including: sex
worker peer education in China; intersex organising in Bangladesh;
lesbian and gay movements in Southern Africa; women with disabilities
in Nicaragua breaking taboos around sexuality; and a grassroots training
programme on "Sexual Pleasure as a Human Right" in Turkey. Such initiatives
illustrate the diversity of sexualities, and that sexual pleasure
is part of the story and can even be considered a human right by some
organisations in the south. Developers would do well to listen to
such views, rather than assuming sexuality is not an issue, or imposing
their own preconceived model. (Paper prepared for the International
Workshop Feminist Fables and Gender Myths: Repositioning Gender in
Development Policy and Practice, Institute of Development Studies,
Sussex, 2-4 July 2003). |
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