An affordable primer to sexuality written from a sociological perspective.

In The Social Construction of Sexuality, Steven Seidman investigates the political and social consequences of privileging certain sexual practices and identities while stigmatizing others. Addressing a range of topics from gay and lesbian identities to sex work, Seidman delves into issues of social control that inform popular beliefs and moral standards. The new Third Edition features three new chapters that focus on the changing cultures of intimacy, the promise and perils of cyber intimacies, and youth struggles to negotiate independence and intimate solidarity.

New chapters on the changing cultures of intimacy

Reflecting the latest debates in postmarital and g/l/b/t intimacies, the Third Edition includes three new chapters on intimacy:

  • Chapter 7 (Changing Cultures of Intimacy) provides an overview of some of the key changes in American intimate life from the nineteenth to the early twenty-first century. 
  • In Chapter 8 (The Promise and Perils of Cyber Intimacies), Seidman examines how digital culture is blurring the lines between public and private life.
  • Chapter 9 (Youth Struggles to Negotiate Independence and Intimate Solidarity) addresses two recent phenomenon: hookup culture and the reversal of gender roles for heterosexual parents in poverty.

Information provided by W. W. Norton.

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A survey of broad topics on sexuality, including sex work and intimacy, and how social factors influence each of them.