Project description
The role of pleasure in the birth of sexual science
Long before modern sexual science took shape, Western research often framed sexuality through a medical lens focused on pathology. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the OBSEX project reveals a richer story. From 1870 to 1940, objects like amulets, ornaments, and pleasure devices collected in Italy and Britain helped shape scientific knowledge on pleasure. OBSEX challenges the idea that European sexual science ignored pleasure, showing instead how early researchers studied sexuality not only to define what was ‘abnormal’ but to explore universal human experiences. The findings will shed new light on how pleasure became central to sexual science – and why it matters today.
Objective
OBSEX explores the crucial, yet overlooked, role that anthropological material culture played in the emergence of sexual science. I argue that, from its outset (1870-1940), Western research on sexual behaviours was not just medical, but that anthropological investigation had a crucial role in making pleasure and desires key interests in the production of scientific knowledge on sexuality. In this way, OBSEX questions Michel Foucault’s dichotomy between an ‘Oriental’ Ars Erotica and a Western Scientia Sexualis by demonstrating that, European scientific knowledge on sexuality was not just focused on pathology, but it was comprised of discourses addressed to pleasure. During OBSEX, I will complement my background in cultural history with new historical scientific and museological skills, crucial to understanding the role of anthropological objects in the development of sexual science. I will use Italy and Britain as main cases to trace the scientific collection, cataloguing and study of the material evidence of ‘primitive’ sexualities (amulets, ornaments, pleasure devices, medical instruments) by anthropologists, folklorists and museum curators, and the impact of their work on sexological theories. I will detect and deconstruct colonialist and gendered narratives embedded in sexological discourses. I will demonstrate that the study of anthropological material culture was not only used to prove the backwardness of the sexuality of the 'Other', but also served a scientific interest on common human features, such as the pursuit of pleasure. In this way, I will be able to show how the study of objects embedding the sexuality of the ‘primitive’ Other had a crucial role in the development of European sexual knowledge and was used as a mirror to read ‘civilised’ sexuality. Showing that from its outset sexual science considered pleasure and desire as constitutive elements of being human, OBSEX will place pleasure at the core of today European debate on sexual health rights.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
You need to log in or register to use this function
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-GF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
35122 Padova
Italy
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.