Sexuality and Democracy

Rahman shows himself to be a fine theorist, able to maneuver through writings of different times and disciplines and tease out the consequences of ideas. The argument is both nuanced and meticulously constructed. Sexuality and Democracy represents a forceful challenge to the essentialist discourses that still dominate much discussion of sexuality and gay and lesbian identities. ... Momin Rahman takes us through the complexities of social construction, feminist theory and queer theory with exemplary clarity and the end result is an open-ended and constantly stimulating contribution to both social theory and the understanding of political practice. Anyone interested in recent developments in theorising sexuality and gender or, more generally, in social theory and political action will welcome this new voice, one which is tough-minded but also generous and humane. -- David H J Morgan, University of Manchester and NTNU, Trondheim This is an engagingly written, accessible text. It offers a thorough guide to existing theories of sexuality while giving them a new twist and taking the debate forward. -- Professor Stevi Jackson, University of York The author's passion for his subject is evident throughout the book, three features of which are particularly welcome. First, the specifically sociological perspective he brings to a debate largely conducted under the umbrella of political or 'queer' theory; second, his serious consideration of symbolic interactionism as an alternative to Foucauldian understandings of the social construction of the subject; and third, the way in which the book directly addresses the needs of students approaching these debates for the first time...conversations between theorists and activists engaged in different struggles are to be warmly welcomed, most especially when they communicate with the clarity of expression and intellectual generosity displayed in this book. Rahman shows himself to be a fine theorist, able to maneuver through writings of different times and disciplines and tease out the consequences of ideas. The argument is both nuanced and meticulously constructed. Sexuality and Democracy represents a forceful challenge to the essentialist discourses that still dominate much discussion of sexuality and gay and lesbian identities. ... Momin Rahman takes us through the complexities of social construction, feminist theory and queer theory with exemplary clarity and the end result is an open-ended and constantly stimulating contribution to both social theory and the understanding of political practice. Anyone interested in recent developments in theorising sexuality and gender or, more generally, in social theory and political action will welcome this new voice, one which is tough-minded but also generous and humane. This is an engagingly written, accessible text. It offers a thorough guide to existing theories of sexuality while giving them a new twist and taking the debate forward. The author's passion for his subject is evident throughout the book, three features of which are particularly welcome. First, the specifically sociological perspective he brings to a debate largely conducted under the umbrella of political or 'queer' theory; second, his serious consideration of symbolic interactionism as an alternative to Foucauldian understandings of the social construction of the subject; and third, the way in which the book directly addresses the needs of students approaching these debates for the first time...conversations between theorists and activists engaged in different struggles are to be warmly welcomed, most especially when they communicate with the clarity of expression and intellectual generosity displayed in this book.