6929: Sexuality scholarship--McAlister comments (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Elizabeth McAlister <emcalister@mail.wesleyan.edu>

Dear BÈbÈ Pierre Louis,

Scholars who work on the history of culture argue that one cannot divorce
"religious" from "historical" from "gendered" themes.  The latest
historical scholarship in many countries reflects this.  Michel Foucault's
book, History of Sexuality, shows that sexuality itself changes in
historical process and is embedded in religion, in national politics and
cultural 'traditions.'  For scholars to work on sexuality in Haiti,
including aspects of homosexuality within Vodou culture, is to afford Haiti
the same scholarly attention that is now being paid to US, France, Nigeria,
etc.  To start reading on this topic, I recommend the Foucault, as well as
these books:

Nationalisms and Sexualities, ed Parker and Russo
 Haiti, History and the Gods by Joan Dayan
Life is Hard: Machismo, Danger and the Intimacy of Power in Nicaragua by
Lancaster
Love, Sex and Gender in the World Religions, ed. Runzo and Martin (ch. on
haiti)

I don't mean to sound snotty; I just sincerely think that list members
might be very interested to see how sexuality, religion and history are
being connected by researchers today.

Yours sincerely,
Liza McAlister

From: Moibibi@aol.com

>I appreciate that Nina has noted the "stigma attached to Vodou", I think that
>research made by well meaning anthropologists on sexuality in Vodou are what
>I would call : putting the cart before the oxen (mettre la charrue avant les
>boeufs). Vodou is not even recognized  as a religion in our constitution and
>I, personally, believe that there are more important subjects such as the
>religious or the historical aspects of Vodou. Such researchs would be much
>more helpful to all Vodouists and would signal the true intention of
>anthropologists to seek the dissipation of that stigma.
>
>BÈbÈ Pierre Louis



* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Elizabeth McAlister, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Religion
Wesleyan University
Middletown, CT  06459-0029
Tel:  (860) 685-2289
Fax:  (860) 685-2821
Internet page: http://www.wesleyan.edu/religion/mcalister.htm

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