The History of Sexuality: Part 1 - An Introduction

The provided texts primarily explore Michel Foucault's critique of the "repressive hypothesis," the widely accepted idea that Western societies, particularly since the Victorian era, have increasingly suppressed discussions and expressions of sexuality. Instead of asking why sex is repressed, Foucault questions why we so persistently claim to be repressed and examines the discourses surrounding sexuality. The sources highlight Foucault's argument that, rather than a simple silencing, there has been a proliferation of discourse about sex alongside complex power dynamics and knowledge production. They also touch upon the common historical narrative of increasing sexual repression beginning around the seventeenth century and intensifying in the Victorian period, a narrative that Foucault challenges.