Reinventing Sexual Scripts: Sexuality and Social Change in the Twenty-First Century (The 2008 John H. Gagnon Distinguished Lecture on Sexuality, Modernity and Change)

Abstract

This article focuses on the politics and practice of sexuality in the early twenty-first century. Drawing on a set of case studies from diverse societies in different regions of the world, the author examines both the intersection of and the tension between grassroots struggles for sexual freedom and transnational movements for sexual rights within the broader context of ongoing global transformations. Building on John Gagnon and William Simon's pioneering work on sexual scripts, the author explores the ways in which the rapidly changing politics of sexuality contribute to the reinvention of sexual meanings and intimate relations across a wide range of diverse social settings and contexts. This article is based on the author's presentation for the 2008 John H. Gagnon Distinguished Lecture on Sexuality, Modernity and Change.