■Research Activities Team Research 2009

The Social History of Sexual Desire

Category Second research sphere The Structures of Culture

We have kept a research project “Cultural History of Sexual Desire” for three years. Then, We challenge “Social History of Sexual Desire” as a next project. Both projects search on sexual desire. We do not change the topic. But, we will change the way to analyze the subject. We hope to search on the way of social history more than cultural history, as a new project. For example, let us think about the way to select the partner. Sometimes, biology tries to clear up the taste of animals towards the opposite sex. But in the case of human being, we cannot discuss about it so simply. What stimulates men and women sexually is communicated vary according to historical or ethnic setting. The image of beauty is in the eye of the culture. The scholar of cultural history studies on the variations of them. Men and women cannot choose the best ones, as their partners. They usually compromise on the matter of marriage. Moreover, our society sometimes do not allow people to cling to the opposite sex by preference. Some societies decide the combination of couple on the value of clanship or class and so on. In these societies, people do not see their selected partner before the day of wedding. Human being has such history of the selection. Our society is binding on our sexual desire, not only the case of couple making. As well as our culture, it has enclosed our sexual attitude. Even if the society which looks to permit sex to flow out, set a limit, and transfer the sexual flow to a certain direction. And the way of social control on sexual desire is not one. It is expressed vary according to the social setting. This team research project will survey on them historically. But initially, research will center on societies of modern East Asia, especially on Japan.

Team Researcher 青木健一 東京大学大学院理学系研究科・教授
赤枝 香奈子 京都大学大学院文学研究科・特定助教(G-COE)
新井 菜穂子 元国際日本文化研究センター准教授
石田 仁 聖マリアンナ医科大学・非常勤講師
岩見照代 麗澤大学外国語学部・教授
梅川純代 大妻女子大学短期大学部・非常勤講師
小川順子 中部大学人文学部・講師
川井ゆう 武庫川女子大学・非常勤講師
斎藤 光 京都精華大学人文学部・教授
阪本博志 宮崎公立大学人文学部・准教授
澁谷知美 東京経済大学現代法学部・専任講師
申 昌浩 京都精華大学人文学部・准教授
菅沼信彦 京都大学大学院医学研究科・教授
永井良和 関西大学社会学部・教授
中村隆文 神戸女子大学文学部・教授
西村大志 広島大学大学院教育学研究科・講師
ノッター・デビッド 慶應義塾大学経済学部・准教授
古川 誠 関西大学社会学部・准教授
松田 さおり(鴻嶋 さおり) 宇都宮共和大学・専任講師
光石 亜由美 奈良大学文学部・講師
三橋順子 早稲田大学ジェンダー研究所・客員研究員
Research Representative 井上章一 国際日本文化研究センター・教授
Organizer 松田利彦 国際日本文化研究センター・准教授
Team Researcher 劉 建輝 国際日本文化研究センター・准教授
平松隆円 国際日本文化研究センター・機関研究員
Team Researcher Overseas 唐 権(Tang Quan) 華東師範大学外語学院・助教授(副教授)