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Sexual Justice and Sexualities

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Handbook of Social Sciences and Global Public Health

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Abstract

Sexualities research is a diverse and wide-ranging field, comprising a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches. Mainstream public health scholars have tended to approach the study of sexualities from an essentialist and biomedical framework, at times drawing on deficit-focused interpretations of sexuality and neglecting questions of power, context, and sexual diversity. Public health researchers have an important role to play in promoting and working toward sexual justice, and critical perspectives and understandings of sexuality are crucial in this regard. Approaching sexualities with a critical lens requires always paying attention to the power relations that shape sexual experiences, identities, and practices. This is of particular urgency in light of the many forms of repression, exclusion, and regressive backlash occurring across the globe, despite the many successes of the struggle for sexual rights and justice. This chapter provides a historical overview of sexualities research in the social sciences and public health and delineates some of the key theoretical trends within sexualities scholarship. It then presents some key priorities for critical research into sexualities within public health that may meaningfully contribute to advancing sexual justice globally.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, UK

    Josephine Cornell

  2. FLO, Hanken School of Economics, Helsinki, Finland

    Jeff Hearn

  3. University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, UK

    Jeff Hearn

  4. Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden

    Jeff Hearn

  5. Psychology Department, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa

    Kopano Ratele

  6. Faculty of Humanities, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

    Shose Kessi

Authors
  1. Josephine Cornell
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  2. Jeff Hearn
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  3. Kopano Ratele
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  4. Shose Kessi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Josephine Cornell .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Health Sciences, Western Sydney University, Camberwell, VIC, Australia

    Pranee Liamputtong

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Cornell, J., Hearn, J., Ratele, K., Kessi, S. (2023). Sexual Justice and Sexualities. In: Liamputtong, P. (eds) Handbook of Social Sciences and Global Public Health. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-96778-9_120-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-96778-9_120-1

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