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Intimate Matters: A History of Sexuality in America
The 1st full length study of the history of American sexuality, Intimate Matters offers trenchant insights into sexual behavior from colonial times to today. D'Emilio & Freedman give a deeper understanding of how sexuality has dramatically influenced politics & culture throughout history.
"The book John D'Emilio co-wrote with Estelle B. Freedman, Intimate Matters, was cited by Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy when, writing for a majority of court on July 26, he and his colleagues struck down a Texas law criminalizing sodomy. The decision was widely hailed as a victory for gay rights�& it derived in part, according to Kennedy's written comments, from the information he gleaned from D'Emilio's book, which traces the history of American perspectives on sexual relationships from the nation's founding thru the present day. The justice mentioned Intimate Matters specifically in the court's decision."—Julia Keller, Chicago Tribune
"Fascinating...[they] marshall their material to chart a gradual but decisive shift in the way Americans have understood sex & its meaning in their lives."—Barbara Ehrenreich, NY Times Book Review
"With comprehensiveness & care...D'Emilio & Freedman have surveyed the sexual patterns for an entire nation across four centuries."—Martin Bauml Duberman, Nation
"Intimate Matters is comprehensive, meticulous & intelligent."—Jonathan Yardley, Washington Post Book World
"This book is remarkable...bound to become the definitive survey of American sexual history for years to come."—Roy Porter, Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences
Acknowledgments
Introduction
The reproductive matrix, 1600-1800
Divided passions, 1780-1900
Toward a new sexual order, 1880-1930
The rise & fall of sexual liberalism, 1920 to the present
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index
"The book John D'Emilio co-wrote with Estelle B. Freedman, Intimate Matters, was cited by Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy when, writing for a majority of court on July 26, he and his colleagues struck down a Texas law criminalizing sodomy. The decision was widely hailed as a victory for gay rights�& it derived in part, according to Kennedy's written comments, from the information he gleaned from D'Emilio's book, which traces the history of American perspectives on sexual relationships from the nation's founding thru the present day. The justice mentioned Intimate Matters specifically in the court's decision."—Julia Keller, Chicago Tribune
"Fascinating...[they] marshall their material to chart a gradual but decisive shift in the way Americans have understood sex & its meaning in their lives."—Barbara Ehrenreich, NY Times Book Review
"With comprehensiveness & care...D'Emilio & Freedman have surveyed the sexual patterns for an entire nation across four centuries."—Martin Bauml Duberman, Nation
"Intimate Matters is comprehensive, meticulous & intelligent."—Jonathan Yardley, Washington Post Book World
"This book is remarkable...bound to become the definitive survey of American sexual history for years to come."—Roy Porter, Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences
Acknowledgments
Introduction
The reproductive matrix, 1600-1800
Divided passions, 1780-1900
Toward a new sexual order, 1880-1930
The rise & fall of sexual liberalism, 1920 to the present
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index
466 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1988
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2,701 people want to read
About the author
John D'Emilio
24books67followersJohn D'Emilio is a professor emeritus of history and of women's and gender studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He taught at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He earned his B.A. from Columbia College and Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1982, where his advisor was William E. Leuchtenburg. He was a Guggenheim fellow in 1998 and National Endowment for the Humanities fellow in 1997 and also served as Director of the Policy Institute at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force from 1995 to 1997.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
March 23, 2011
Despite getting quite a number of raised eyebrows when people caught sight of me reading this, it's not at all prurient or salacious. It's actually rather fascinating, despite the fact that the title really ought to be (A Mostly Heterosexual) History of Sexuality in America. There is very little in here about asexuality, bisexuality, homosexuality, which are mostly mentioned only in passing or in opposition to the prevailing heterosexual norm. I can understand why, to a certain extent, as the overwhelming majorities of studies to this point have focused on heterosexuality, and the relatively recent rise of gay liberation and the GLBTQ movement has meant that attention is really only now beginning to focus on social studies of homosexuality.
This book charts the evolution of sexuality throughout America's history: from the colonial period, where sex was firmly rooted to reproduction within the context of marriage, men and women had clearly defined and very separates spheres of existence, and the community, church and government took a firm role in regulating people's behaviour; through the nineteenth century, when sex began to take on associations not just with reproduction, but with concepts such as spiritual union, romantic love, emotional satisfaction, and personal identity, still all within the context of marital union, however, and sex began to be commercialised through prostitution and the nacent pornography industry; to the twentieth century, when birth control meant that sex could almost be entirely detached from reproduction, the importance of sex to personal identity and happiness meant that it began to be divorced from the concept of marriage, and the growth of the economy led to the commercialisation of sex and the sexualisation of commerce.
What I found interesting is that the history of sexuality in America is very much a story of evolution and progress all the way up to the twenteith century, when the pendulum of liberalism and conservatism begins to swing back and forth, as one generation reacts to the excesses or prudishness of the other. The 20s were a more permissive era; the 40s and 50s swung back to early marriage, large families and social conservatism; the 1960s moved back to liberalism and social rights movements; the late 1970s and 80s heralded the rise of evangelicalism and conservatism, permeated with interludes of hysteria about homosexuality, AIDS, teen pregnancies and sex education.
Written as it was in the 80s, it would be interesting to see this book updated with a new edition bringing it up to date, as the current era seems to contain both liberalism and conservatism in one, and really highlights the dichotomies and divides that the issue of sexuality seems to generate in America.
This book charts the evolution of sexuality throughout America's history: from the colonial period, where sex was firmly rooted to reproduction within the context of marriage, men and women had clearly defined and very separates spheres of existence, and the community, church and government took a firm role in regulating people's behaviour; through the nineteenth century, when sex began to take on associations not just with reproduction, but with concepts such as spiritual union, romantic love, emotional satisfaction, and personal identity, still all within the context of marital union, however, and sex began to be commercialised through prostitution and the nacent pornography industry; to the twentieth century, when birth control meant that sex could almost be entirely detached from reproduction, the importance of sex to personal identity and happiness meant that it began to be divorced from the concept of marriage, and the growth of the economy led to the commercialisation of sex and the sexualisation of commerce.
What I found interesting is that the history of sexuality in America is very much a story of evolution and progress all the way up to the twenteith century, when the pendulum of liberalism and conservatism begins to swing back and forth, as one generation reacts to the excesses or prudishness of the other. The 20s were a more permissive era; the 40s and 50s swung back to early marriage, large families and social conservatism; the 1960s moved back to liberalism and social rights movements; the late 1970s and 80s heralded the rise of evangelicalism and conservatism, permeated with interludes of hysteria about homosexuality, AIDS, teen pregnancies and sex education.
Written as it was in the 80s, it would be interesting to see this book updated with a new edition bringing it up to date, as the current era seems to contain both liberalism and conservatism in one, and really highlights the dichotomies and divides that the issue of sexuality seems to generate in America.
May 14, 2008
A thorough overview of the main trends in America's tortured ideas about s*e*x*---not so much the down & dirty but concepts of gender, permissiveness, gaydom, and youth. As with most histories than span several centuries, the narrative goes broad rather than deep; occasionally you sense some repetition of ideas, which is inevitable, I suppose. Yet I found the final section on the 20th century, "The Rise and Fall fo Sexual Liberalism," fascinating. There's a great section on Margaret Sanger, the mother of modern birth control, and her (and her husband's) battles with Anthony Comstock, one of the most famous blue meanies of all time. I also liked how---unlike VH-1's current documentary, Sex: The Revolution, this study doesn't go gaga congratulating baby-boomers for breaking taboos of virginity and monogamy in the 60s. Instead, a lot of the hypocrises of that revolution are pointed out---including the predatory opportunism it encouraged among supposedly enlightened white progressive men. The book is best read in short stretches---it's too much to assimilate at once.
November 22, 2020
This is a dry, academic study of sexual behavior in what is now the USA from the colonial period until the time of publication (1988). Among its virtues are efforts to distinguish between regions, races and classes. Among its deficits are the introductions and conclusions appended to its sections and subsections, all of which are yawningly abstract summaries of what is to come or of what has just happened. This may be in accord with any number of style books, but the way these authors handle it gives their book the freshness of a textbook.
In broadest strokes, the thesis of the book is that sex has become increasingly divorced from reproduction. Although written at the height of the Reagan backlash against what they term "sexual liberalism", the exigencies of capitalism make this movement well nigh irresistible.
In broadest strokes, the thesis of the book is that sex has become increasingly divorced from reproduction. Although written at the height of the Reagan backlash against what they term "sexual liberalism", the exigencies of capitalism make this movement well nigh irresistible.
Want to read
January 11, 2013I am so excited there is a new edition. Probably more than I should be.
August 24, 2019
It’s quite an exhaustive and detailed history of, well, mainly heterosexuality in America. I thought initially that it would be a collection of essays rather than an academic study, but despite being dry in places, it was well worth reading. I learned quite a bit, especially about Puritanism � it was much more permissive and egalitarian and far less hypocritical than I thought, so I gained some respect for Puritans. Век живи � век учись. Puritans! Goodness me!
January 4, 2015
Should be required reading for anyone interested in human sexuality. Really challenged some misconceptions.
December 31, 2016
It's a doozy. There's so much to go through, and it just keeps going.
November 14, 2019
I recognize how difficult it could be to write a book about sexuality and not have it seem lurid or sensational. Unfortunately, this book seems too determined to let everyone know it is a scholarly text, and the prose is overly dry and formal. in some places, it feels more like a college paper that ballooned into a book, with many chapters starting with a "this is what this chapter will cover" beginning and ending with a "this is what this chapter has covered" conclusion. There is some fascinating but of data here along with some well documented accounts of sexuality hundreds of years ago, but it's something of a slog to get through.
August 11, 2021
if you have ever wondered how the creation of the Erie Canal and the Industrial Revolution led to Lady Gaga being hot as fuck in the Paparazzi music video, then this is the book for you!
July 22, 2015
This book was published over 25 years ago, but it's still fascinating and quite relevant.
It's a broad survey of sexual attitudes and behaviors In the US, starting with the colonial era (and ending in the 1980's, since that is when it was written). It seems that things were much different than what we imagine, back then. The Puritans were not nearly as staid as you might think! (The opinion I seem to hear a lot is that basically everyone lived in a 1950's style family unit with 1950's style morals for ever and ever from the beginning of time until the hippies shook things up. Not true, but I can see why that is an attractive fantasy for some.)
The overlooked bits of history are fascinating, but what engaged me the most was the way you can see in this book the roots of a lot of the really ugly things that still exist in our current culture, especially regarding race and how sex workers are treated. The authors don't draw these parallels, and I think the lack of moralizing or editorial comment makes this a stronger book, but seriously, these issues didn't just spring out of nowhere. The sections on race are particularly hard to read, and it's depressing that so many harmful stereotypes live on despite the advances we've made.
It might be a bit dense for some readers, but anyone with an interest in the history of sex should certainly add this to their reading list.
It's a broad survey of sexual attitudes and behaviors In the US, starting with the colonial era (and ending in the 1980's, since that is when it was written). It seems that things were much different than what we imagine, back then. The Puritans were not nearly as staid as you might think! (The opinion I seem to hear a lot is that basically everyone lived in a 1950's style family unit with 1950's style morals for ever and ever from the beginning of time until the hippies shook things up. Not true, but I can see why that is an attractive fantasy for some.)
The overlooked bits of history are fascinating, but what engaged me the most was the way you can see in this book the roots of a lot of the really ugly things that still exist in our current culture, especially regarding race and how sex workers are treated. The authors don't draw these parallels, and I think the lack of moralizing or editorial comment makes this a stronger book, but seriously, these issues didn't just spring out of nowhere. The sections on race are particularly hard to read, and it's depressing that so many harmful stereotypes live on despite the advances we've made.
It might be a bit dense for some readers, but anyone with an interest in the history of sex should certainly add this to their reading list.
August 18, 2016
A very thorough historical assessment of sexuality in what can be known about practice and the view of sexuality in American culture from the beginnings of colonization to the present day.
The author does not fall into the trap of considering any type of movement or expectation as a given, as if views and perspectives about sexuality are heading toward a particular end. He assesses changes and reactions to changes; moments of "liberation," and moments of "withdrawal." And yet there is a general trajectory toward greater understanding and a higher social profile of sexuality and its practices over time.
The author also does well at looking at the various attitudes which existed among different classes and ethnic groups while not neglecting the overall picture that at least a few in America wanted to present about what appropriate sexuality looked like.
Fully researched and documented and a useful resource if one is interested in understanding the various contours of the views and arguments regarding human sexuality in American culture.
The author does not fall into the trap of considering any type of movement or expectation as a given, as if views and perspectives about sexuality are heading toward a particular end. He assesses changes and reactions to changes; moments of "liberation," and moments of "withdrawal." And yet there is a general trajectory toward greater understanding and a higher social profile of sexuality and its practices over time.
The author also does well at looking at the various attitudes which existed among different classes and ethnic groups while not neglecting the overall picture that at least a few in America wanted to present about what appropriate sexuality looked like.
Fully researched and documented and a useful resource if one is interested in understanding the various contours of the views and arguments regarding human sexuality in American culture.
September 6, 2013
The chronological span of this book is remarkable, beginning the study in Colonial America and bringing it to our contemporary culture in the recent past (2010s). This survey traces changes in perception and expression of American sexuality, as it relates to changes in politics, economy, and family structures. A strength of the book is the authors' attention to the shifting dynamics of feminine sexual politics, wherein women went from being denied their sexuality toward the sexual objectification of the female body, and ironically with the greater acceptance of birth control the loss of their social right to define their sexual life. Less strong is the book's explication of *why* change in sexuality took place when and how it did.
March 21, 2009
This edition ends in the '80s, so it was kinda depressing in the final chapter knowing how political conservativism, particularly its religious fundie aspects, ended up becoming dominant and rolling back many of the gains of the feminist and gay rights movements. Their ideology is so fear-based, so NOT based in rationality or factual evidence. I feel like I can breathe a little now that they have lost a lot of their power, but damn, we really gotta remain vigilent. There's no reasoning with people who operate from fear. Assholes.
August 31, 2012
Good synthesis. Nicely organized, and easy to read. The only reason that I wouldn't give it 5-stars is because only really highlighted mainstream sexuality and the struggle to understand/maintain those norms (though the authors are careful to include gay/lesbian history as well). I wish there had been more discussion of the taboo, juxtaposed with their discussion of the norms. I will likely hunt down a copy of the 2nd edition to fill the void left by their hasty epilogue in the 1st edition that I read.
February 8, 2016
This was an excellent, well researched history of sexuality in the US, from colonial times to nearly the present. D'Emilio and Freedman were a good collaborative team, and they presented what seems to be an unbiased version of sexual history. There was a great deal of information about gay and lesbian history that is not usually available. There was less information about transgender history, but what they had was informative. I was reading this for my masters degree final project, and I'm glad I spent the time to do so.
October 21, 2016
Great outlay of sexual history in America and how it influenced politics and lifestyle in general. It's time for them to research the next 20 years into this new age of sex taboos beyond the 1980s and early 1990s as we've come a long way since then. Albeit, some of the motifs of sex from earlier eras covered in the book seem to still exist today as much as we've moved into an era more welcoming of sexual freedom. I'd be intetested to see what new ideas come to light in another updated copy that's more than a shallow dive of an 'Afterword'.
August 23, 2012
Really thorough history of marriage and sex 16th-Century thru 20th-Century. Very enlightening, especially around intersections of race and class and how control of sexuality has been used as a tool to maintain hierarchies in the United States. Also really enlightening history on the ever-changing meaning of marriage among differing groups and religions. Could have been more nuanced around some of the feminist history but all in all, really great book. Highly recommend it!
Read
September 22, 2016Read this for my LGBT history class. This book is a good introduction to the history of sexuality, but only has a chapter and two or three mentions of miscegenation.
References
References
January 1, 2017
A very extensive and well-researched study in human behavior, specifically, sexuality in the United States from the colonial era until the 1980s, just at the time that the spectre of AIDS had loomed its ugly head. Lots of primary sources make this books notes and bibliography section a goldmine for future reading (I scanned some of the pages for myself for later).
April 5, 2008
I read the older edition when it came out (I think it was a QPB selection) and then read it again for my comprehensive exams. I enjoyed it both times. A great overview of sexuality in America.
May 7, 2008
This book is, um, seminal.
November 26, 2008
A ground breaker!
October 5, 2009
freaking awesome. really appreciate that it tries not to be just a sexual history of the white middle class, but a lot of this is buried
December 3, 2009
Still the go-to book on the history of sexuality...lays it all out there and analyzes it brilliantly.
March 7, 2010
A very important book for anyone interested in how sexuality has shaped the history of our country.
Shelved as 'just-cannot-finish'
May 28, 2013I learned most of this already in my undergrad WS classes.
December 14, 2012
Very interesting book--read for class, but would have enjoyed reading it anyway.
Want to read
April 16, 2014I've read most of this in excerpts, but I should sit and redo it all of a piece.
January 11, 2015
A classic work of sexuality history!
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