#678 Gilbert Herdt: The Anthropology of Sexual Orientation
RECORDED ON JUNE 30th 2022.
Dr. Gilbert Herdt is Emeritus Professor of Human Sexuality Studies and Anthropology and a Founder of the Department of Sexuality Studies and the National Sexuality Resource Center at San Francisco State University. He founded the Summer Institute on Sexuality and Society at the University of Amsterdam (1996). He founded the PhD Program in Human Sexuality at the California Institute for Integral Studies, San Francisco (2013). He conducted long-term fieldwork among the Sambia people of Papua New Guinea, and has written widely on the nature and variation in human sexual expression in Papua New Guinea, Melanesia, and across cultures.
In this episode, we talk about sexual orientation from an anthropological perspective. We first talk about the societies Dr. Herdt studied in Papua New Guinea. We then discuss how to study sexuality on the field, how sexual attraction develops, the influence of culture in the development of sexual orientation, and norms regarding sexual behavior. We talk about how to understand homosexuality from the perspective of anthropology. Finally, we talk about factors that impact the mental health of homosexuals, including norms, marriage denial, and discrimination due to the AIDS pandemic.
Time Links:
Intro
Societies in Papua New Guinea
How to study sexuality on the field
How sexual attraction develops
Does culture influence the development of sexual orientation?
Norms regarding sexual behavior
Are traditional societies tolerant of homosexuality?
Homosexuality from the perspective of anthropology
Factors that impact the mental health of homosexuals: norms, marriage denial, the AIDS pandemic
Follow Dr. Herdt’s work!
Follow Dr. Herdt’s work:
Faculty page: https://bit.ly/3sjl9tn
ResearchGate profile: https://bit.ly/35xc7zV
Books on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3NLm3Xn