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Faramerz Dabhoiwala

The Origins of Sex: A History of the First Sexual Revolution Hardcover – 2 Feb. 2012

by Faramerz Dabhoiwala (Author)

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Nowadays we believe that consenting adults have the freedom to do what they like with their own bodies. We publicise and celebrate sex; we discuss it endlessly; we are obsessed with the sex lives of celebrities. We think it wrong that in other cultures people suffer for their sexual orientation, that women are treated as second-class citizens, or that adulterers are put to death. Yet until quite recently our own society was like this too. For most of western history, all sex outside marriage was illegal, and the church, the state, and ordinary people all devoted huge efforts to suppressing and punishing it. This was a central feature of Christian civilization, one that had steadily grown in importance since the early middle ages.

In this brilliant, ground-breaking book, Faramerz Dabhoiwala describes in dramatic detail how, between 1600 and 1800, this entire world view was shattered by revolutionary new ideas - that sex is a private matter; that morality cannot be imposed by force; that men are more lustful than women. Henceforth, the private lives of both sexes were to be endlessly broadcast and debated, in a rapidly expanding universe of public media: newspapers, pamphlets, journals, novels, poems, and prints.

The Origins of Sex shows that the creation of this modern culture of sex was a central part of the Enlightenment, intertwined with the era's major social, political and intellectual trends. It helped create a new model of Western civilization, whose principles of privacy, equality, and freedom of the individual remain distinctive to this day.

Print length

496 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Allen Lane
Publication date

2 Feb. 2012
Dimensions

16.2 x 3.5 x 24 cm
ISBN-10

1846144922
ISBN-13

978-1846144929
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Review

In this significant historical debut, Faramerz Dabhoiwala presents his readers with a revelation: how early, and how suddenly, the permissive society arrived in Christian Western Europe.Over three centuries ago a revolution took place in Western attitudes to sex; it began in England, but all modern Westerners are its heirs, and now it is challenging and remoulding patterns of sexual behaviour throughout the world.The book is not simply a finely-crafted work of history, but a study that will reshape the way its readers understand the most intimate level of their lives.It may even bring some sanity to modern debates about sexuality. (Diarmaid MacCulloch)

In this brilliantly argued, lucid and enthralling book, Faramerz Dabhoiwala describes the first sexual revolution - a sea change in attitudes towards sexual morality, the public and the private. The Origins of Sex shows how far men enjoyed, and women endured, the new sexual world. It is a majestic and provocative history of ideas and attitudes. (Amanda Vickery)

About the Author

Faramerz Dabhoiwala was born in England, grew up in Amsterdam, and was educated at York and Oxford. He is the Senior Fellow in History at Exeter College, Oxford, a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and the father of two children. This is his first book.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Allen Lane; First Edition (2 Feb. 2012)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 496 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1846144922
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1846144929
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 16.2 x 3.5 x 24 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 176,005 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 1,038 in Anthropology & Sociology Biographies
- 5,342 in Sociology (Books)
- 6,223 in Social & Cultural History

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4.0 75 ratings

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Faramerz Dabhoiwala

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Fara Dabhoiwala teaches history at Princeton University. He grew up in Amsterdam, was educated at York and Oxford, and became a historian through a succession of happy accidents. 'The Origins of Sex' is his first book. More information can be found at his website, www.dabhoiwala.com.

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Devere Wolfe

History for our generation?

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 25 March 2013

Verified Purchase

When I first saw this book in Waterstones I thought that there had been a very through research made of the subject. What became clear withing a few pages is that the 'young' think they invented sex i.e. the 60's and so on. this is obviously not the case and for hundreds of years people have been enjoying the discovery of sex in it's varying forms. There are some aspects of 'modern' sexual practice that remain questionable. The Victorians are held up as being prudish and prime and proper in all their dealings with one and other - do not believe that for a minute. Firstly they were human and humans have their instincts and desires just like any other preceeding life forms.
This book beautifully highlights the wonder that was and is sex for all to enjoy rather than decry it as something to be tolerated. Men have been advised through the ages, certainly since the ninth century that woman tolerated sex and lay back and thought of England in Victorian times - rubbish. This book debunks that myth one and for all - woman enjoy sex as much as men, and good luck to them too. For any serious scholar of the subject I would recommend this book.

One person found this helpful

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zuma

Opened my eyes to parts of the past.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 26 March 2014

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This is not a book about sex so if that's what you are looking for look elsewhere.
This is a history of British morals and attitude to sexual relationships. I learnt so much about church authority, policing, sentencing I really enjoyed this book although it got somewhat repetitive around the middle and my enthusiasm waned but I still would lend my copy to friends if it wasn't on kindle!

2 people found this helpful

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MemeBuendia

Very interesting and well researched

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 30 October 2013

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I found this book extremely interesting, and I learned many things from it I didn't know.
The history of the sexual revolution is fascinating, and the author does a great job of following through from the olden times to modern times so that you can track how we ended up in this still confusing culture.

I highly recommend it if you are interested in history, feminism, or if you just want to learn something new.

One person found this helpful

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mintymoor

Academic

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 25 February 2013

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I found the writing too academic and dense in tone, so though strikingly well written and researched, and with wonderful historical detail, I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have hoped.

I also think the author could have gone back prior to the 17th and 18th, which was a very specific time (post-Cromwell). So I was left groping for a wider historical perspective, perhaps not possible in the remit of this book, but important given its ideas and premises.

2 people found this helpful

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C.T. Onions

A superb book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 23 March 2013

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One of the best academic books I have ever read, and certainly the most enjoyable and consistently impressive work of history I have read. The style is elegant and exact, the argument is constructed with great lucidity from a wealth of research, and the perspective manages to appear admirably objective and sane, but also progressive and on behalf of happiness.

One person found this helpful

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Purple

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 25 August 2015

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Excellent and very interesting but gets very heavy going after a while

One person found this helpful

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HPX

For quite a subject that's not very hard to make ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 11 July 2018

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For quite a subject that's not very hard to make interesting, this book is a real plod to get through. There's also a lack of thinking around certain issues: for example, the author uncritically employs slang language of the period they're discussing to describe sex workers, which just makes the book sound misogynistic.

They seem similarly uncritical about some of the morals and mores of the different eras - I don't mean that I expect historians to judge sources by our moral standards, just that the way they write implies they sort of agree with the harsh moral judgments (e.g. of Christians) they're writing about. Not sure if they actually do, but this is the way it sometimes comes across.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 3 February 2014

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A riveting read and so informative. Easy to see how even today's 'morals' have their roots in extreme religious and behavioural concepts from 100's of years ago!

One person found this helpful

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The Origins of Sex: A History of the First Sexual Revolution Hardcover – 2 Feb. 2012

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