Hello! I'm writing my (anthropology) thesis on the taboo of the prostate and how men's sexuality is shaped by patriarchal gender norms. This means I need to conduct an ethnography on my university campus, interviewing students about their sexual practices. Since this is a delicate topic and I'm not sure how to formulate my interview questions, I was wondering if any of you know of an ethnography/book/documentary/article/interview that I could use to get inspiration from. The sources don't have to be anthropological, any help is much appreciated :)
I just wondered what you mean by "the taboo of the prostate"?. From what you say you are going to pursue a set of semi structured interviews focused around social practices, do I also wondered to what extent this would constitute an ethnography - or is it just part of a broader range of data gathering practices you will adopt? Would you consider an auto-ethnography a useful source?
Hello Stephen, thank you for asking! I am writing an anthropology bachelor thesis, a sort of very short ethnographic essay (15000 words) where I first conduct a few interviews and then use other ethnographic sources to write about my findings and formulate an argument. When is say "the prostate taboo", I mean the taboo around prostate pleasure, especially for men. In essence, I hope to be able to demonstrate that gender performativity and compulsory heterosexuality have an impact on men's sexual practices and access to pleasure.
As you may be able to tell I'm only at the very first stage of my research, which is why this is all very vague. Still, I hope this helps clarify my question.
There is a fair amount of work on masculinities and sexualities. Off hand, you might wish to look up Roger Lancaster's stuff, which would lead you to moe.
Sex Panic and the Punitive State (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2011).
The Trouble with Nature: Sex in Science and Popular Culture (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2003).
Life is Hard: Machismo, Danger, and the Intimacy of Power in Nicaragua (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1992).
The Gender/Sexuality Reader: Culture, History, Political Economy, (ed., with Micaela di Leonardo), (NY: Routledge, 1997).
A suggestion: Look in the papers, etc of Masters and Johnson. They did extensive research using interviews of your subjects' age-cohorts; there must be something there! They were at Washington University in St Louis, Missouri. I worked with Frank Beach at Berkeley's Animal Behavior Station, and would correspond and speak with them; there is an interesting Interview clip with Bill Masters in my book The Inner Elvis, a psychological biography. It's on Kindle - not a plug, just awareness!! Also - the Kinsey Center at the University of Indiana has 'stuff.' Best of luck with your dissertation. Best, Peter Whitmer p.s. a last thought - what about Frasier's The Golden Bough for the Prostate Taboo or related issues?
In anthro you could look at this work on masculinity: https://www.amazon.com/Best-Hard-Times-Palestinian-Masculinities-ebook/dp/B08P523DQS/ref=sr_1_1?crid=41UGDENEUYL&keywords=the+best+of+hard+times+barbosa&qid=1646227265&sprefix=the+best+of+hard+time%2Caps%2C149&sr=8-1
You might find ideas in psychotherapy/ counseling on how to broach sensitive topics in research.
Marlon Silvoza , Sarah Grosso , Peter Whitmer, Saurabh Dube , Michael Uebel Thankyou so much for the great recommendations!!! This is all incredibly helpful.
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