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Assignment #8

In Part 4, Chapter 4 of Focault’s “History of Sexuality”, the term “technology of sex” is frequently used. Focault talks about how earlier on (within the 17^th century) sex was looked at as a private matter, one that had no association with medicine or the state; society found no reasoning for it to be a societal topic of discussion. The body was meant to be concealed outside the boundaries of the private marriage. Sex did however find itself appropriate to be discussed under the church within the confessions. Yet as time went on discourse concerning sex emerged from confession rooms and bedrooms and eventually made its way to matters of the state. Due to advancements in education, medicine, and economics, sex became a topic of analysis. Relating more specifically to medicine, Focault explains that people began to distinguish a difference between medicine of sex and medicine of the body. They looked closely at sex related diseases and studied those disease’s possible impacts on future generations. Through the new technological analysis of sex, eventually sexual discourse would evolve once more. Though it started as an exclusively private and secular matter, then grew to be discussed and analyzed openly, it eventually began to retreat as the state started regulatory actions against it. “The sexuality of children and adolescents was first problematized, and feminine sexuality medicalized.” (Focault, “History of Sex” pg 120) Society constructed criticisms and regulations surrounding sexual discourse as a response to these new advancements in the “technology of sex”.  Just like in modern day, aside from legal regulations around sex, sex before marriage is still something society has constructed to be shameful, especially for women. Woman are portrayed as disobedient and wrongful if they express their own sexuality. These social constructs and regulations up until modern day I think Focualt recognizes to be stemming from the original Christian Church’s belief that sex and desire is sinful and must be shut down.