Sex in History by Reay Tannahill  (12)
|
A Mind of Its Own: A Cultural History of the Penis by David M. Friedman  (22)
$10.88
|
Beyond the Veil: Male-Female Dynamics in a Modern Muslim Society by Fatima Mernissi (10)
$12.56
|
O: The Intimate History of the Orgasm by Jonathan Margolis (7)
$11.05
|
In the Land of God and Man: A Latin's Woman's Journey by Silvana Paternostro (19)
|
This item is not eligible for Amazon Prime, but millions of other items are. Join Amazon Prime today. Already a member? Sign in.
|
|||||||||
Customers Who Bought Items Like This Also Bought
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Readers who consider celibacy the exclusive domain of priests and nuns are in for a big surprise. Elizabeth Abbott's entertaining history traces over 3,000 years of sexual abstinence and illustrates how it has been practiced all over the world for a variety of reasons, both religious and secular. A History of Celibacy begins with the ancient Greek deities, Athena, Artemis, and Hestia, for whom celibacy was a means of liberation from traditional female servitude, and concludes with the present-day AIDS epidemic, a primary justification for the renewed call to celibacy. In between, Abbott, who dedicated eight years to this project, discovers fascinating examples of sexual abstinence, whether coerced or self-proclaimed, temporary or permanent. For example, celibacy enabled egalitarianism and female leadership for 18th-century Shakers, the Greek athlete enhanced athletic performance by conserving semen, and Shamans and Vodun priests to this day attain a state conducive to communicating with the spirits through short-term abstinence.
Readers who consider celibacy the exclusive domain of priests and nuns are in for a big surprise. Elizabeth Abbott's entertaining history traces over 3,000 years of sexual abstinence and illustrates how it has been practiced all over the world for a variety of reasons, both religious and secular. A History of Celibacy begins with the ancient Greek deities, Athena, Artemis, and Hestia, for whom celibacy was a means of liberation from traditional female servitude, and concludes with the present-day AIDS epidemic, a primary justification for the renewed call to celibacy. In between, Abbott, who dedicated eight years to this project, discovers fascinating examples of sexual abstinence, whether coerced or self-proclaimed, temporary or permanent. For example, celibacy enabled egalitarianism and female leadership for 18th-century Shakers, the Greek athlete enhanced athletic performance by conserving semen, and Shamans and Vodun priests to this day attain a state conducive to communicating with the spirits through short-term abstinence.
Abbott describes and analyzes over 120 instances of sexual abstinence, expertly illuminating the interrelation of detailed particulars with historical context and social norms. A bestseller in Canada, where Abbott serves as Dean of Women at Trinity College, A History of Celibacy neither advocates nor opposes the practice. Instead, Abbott, herself a converted celibate, emphasizes individual choice according to individual needs, drives, and desires. --Bertina Loeffler Sedlack
From Library Journal
Celibacy: it's not just a matter of religious conviction, argues the dean of women at Trinity College.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
See all Editorial Reviews
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Look Inside This Book
Citations
(learn more)
12
books
cite this book:
See all 12 books citing this book
- Heaven: A Guide to the Undiscovered Country by Peter Stanford on page 93, and Back Matter
- Sex and Heaven: Catholics in Bed and at Prayer by John Portmann in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Habit: A History of the Clothing of Catholic Nuns by Elizabeth Kuhns in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- My Brother's Keeper: What the Social Sciences Do & Don't Tell Us About Masculinity by Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen on page 65
- Quirkyalone: A Manifesto for Uncompromising Romantics by Sasha Cagen in Front Flap
See all 12 books citing this book