Women's Studies 2160A/B Lecture Notes - Heterosexuality, Daniel Defoe, Michel Foucault

• School: Western University
• Department: Women's Studies
• Course: Women's Studies 2160A/B
• Professor: N/ A

Document Summary

Marriage has existed in all culture since adam and eve, its an ancient culture. What is marriage? its both private and public. In involves a legal or religious contract between two people, until recently the opposite sex. Marriage legitimizes and legalizes sexual intercourse: it is the one thing that gives us the right to have sex( the private becomes public) 4. marriage is a public recognition of a private act. Marriage is only indirectly linked to procreation; only in exceptional cases have marriages been annulled if there are no children, marriages are annulled in royalty. Why does marriage exist? it is the public aspect of intimacy that makes marriage. It ensures control over sexuality, and the privileging of certain kinds of pair bonds: marriage is away of approving a legitimacy of two people, a public declaration of a private act. 2. it enables social control over race, class and gender: not anyone can get married with anyone.