Literature review on geographies of sexualities

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Exam Number: JE621

Literature Review

This literature review focuses on the geographies of sexuality. Until recently the issue of sexuality has been ignored by geographers. This is because sexuality was seen as a private issue. However, as geographers such as Valentine and Myslick have pointed out, everyday space is sexualised, or rather implicitly heterosexualised. It is impossible to think of sexuality today as a private issue. I intend to look at some of the work done by geographers in this field. I will begin by highlighting some of the early research carried out on this topic by looking at the formation of gay neighbourhoods and gay ghettoisation. Following this, I will examine some of the more recent work done by geographers in trying to explore the relationship between gander/sexuality/place.

Much of the early work on geographies of sexuality has focussed on the experiences of gay men and the emergence of gay neighbourhoods within certain cities, and the effects these communities have on the urban landscape (Knopp 1990, Jackson, 1989). Perhaps the most influential research was carried out by Manuel Castells (1983) who set out to map the gay community and its institutions (e.g gay bars) in the area of the Castro, San Francisco, USA. The reason for the early work on this issue has been focussed on the experiences of gay men rather than lesbians may be because the formation of these communities has been the most visible. Castells argues that the predominance of men forming distinctive neighbourhoods rather than women is because of a profound gender difference. He suggests that, rather than occupy a particular place with spatial boundaries, lesbians are more likely to form social networks. Geographers Adler and Brenner, who attempted to replicate Castells method of research, specifically focussing on a lesbian neighbourhood in an unnamed city US, have questioned Castells argument by suggesting that the absence of lesbian neighbourhoods is due to their limited resources and lack of capital rather than lack of interest. They also suggest (see Adler and Brenner, 1992) that there is some indication of specific lesbian areas of residence in urban areas and that these area are likely to have certain characteristics. For example, as lesbians have less access to capital and so are more likely to live in an area with a high ethnic minority population.

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        More recently, geographers such as David Bell and Gill Valentine have moved away from the notion of gay communities and their spatial dynamics and focussed on issues of culture and different ways in which lesbians seek to negotiate their sexuality in society. The geographies of lesbianism and work done specifically by Gill Valentine is what interests me and is particularly important to this study. Before I examine some of Valentines work in this field, I first want to look at some of the work done feminist geographer Linda McDowell and Judith Butler. They have both done work on gender performances ...

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