Space, Place, and Sex: Geographies of Sexualities (Why of Where) [Paperback]

Lynda Johnston (Author), Robyn Longhurst (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 16, 2009 | ISBN-10: 0742555127 | ISBN-13: 978-0742555129

This accessible and engaging book explores the ways that 'space, place, and sex' are inextricably linked from the micro to the macro level, from the individual body to the globe. Drawing on queer, feminist, gender, social, and cultural studies, Lynda Johnston and Robyn Longhurst highlight the complex nature of sex and sexuality and how they are connected to both virtual and physical spaces and places. Their aim is to enrich our understanding of sexual identities and practices_whether they be lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, asexual, queer, or heterosexual. They show that bodies are defined and connected through media such as television, movies, ads, and the Internet, as well as through 'real' places such as homes, churches, sports arenas, city streets, beaches, and wilderness. Drawing on a diverse array of historical and contemporary examples, the authors argue convincingly that sexual politics permeate all places and spaces at every level of geographical scale. Thus, they illustrate, sexuality affects the way people live in and interact with space and place, as space and place in turn affect people's sexuality.

Editorial Reviews

Review

With compelling attention to transnational space as well as the body, two of the finest geographers working on gender and sexualities have offered us a fascinating book. It will be of interest to social and cultural geographers, as well as queer theorists who need to enrich their geographical imaginations. (Michael Brown, University of Washington )

The authors traverse a range of spaces from the body to the globe in a highly accessible and engaging text. . . . Whether considered alone or as a collection of tightly connected contributions, each chapter in the book mixes original research with critical reviews of existing literature to present a well written and carefully nuanced argument. . . . While the focus of the book might be geographies of sexualities, the authors introduce key geographical concepts such as place, space, scale and embodiment with a rare and refreshing clarity. For these reasons and more, this book should be read by both scholars and students alike and would serve as an excellent text on any course introducing Human Geography. (New Zealand Geographer )

Johnston and Longhurst have produced a much-needed, accessible volume that intertwines sex, sexuality, and gender, moving from the body to the global. Sexual politics are shown to be integral to everyday lives, making this an important book not only for geographies of sexualities but geography itself, and one that should be on every human geography reading list. (Kath Browne, University of Brighton )

Lynda Johnston and Robyn Longhurst’s Space, Place and Sex weaves together the intellectual fruits of the 1990s, highlighting on-going conceptual trajectories as they develop in the 2000s, to demonstrate that sex, sexuality, and gender, on the one hand, and place and space, on the other, are necessarily intimately entwined....While this book is theory-rich, it is exceptionally accessible, with chapters building theory into case study from the ground up....This book will be a valuable read to the comparatively uninitiated with regard to geographies of sexualities because of its accessible, targeted use of theory and case study. It will also be invaluable to feminists, cultural geographers, gender researchers, and queer theorists, as a foundation work outlining future directions in research that does justice to both place and sexualities.
(Women's Studies Journal )

I use Space, Place and Sex as the required reader for a second-year Gender Studies unit, and it’s been highly successful. Students have been really receptive to the book and its ideas, and it has provided a fantastic core for the unit’s development around spatiality.

(Alison Bartlett, University of Western Australia )

About the Author

Lynda Johnston is associate professor in the Department of Geography, Tourism and Environmental Planning at the University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand. Robyn Longhurst is professor in the Department of Geography, Tourism, and Environmental Planning at the University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (November 16, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0742555127
• ISBN-13: 978-0742555129
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.6 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,145,689 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Educational May 8, 2013

By Morgan

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This was a very interesting book to read if you are interested in the sexuality of others across the world. This book contains important and interesting information about many sexual groups and their geography. When reading this book it is important to keep an open mind and not judge. Since the book is written from both a homosexual and heterosexual point of view it is truly an educational piece that will help anyone with any questions relating to sexuality. I personally enjoyed this book as a quick read for a cultural geography class. Before reading this book I was close minded and stubborn, however, now I feel slightly more open to people of different orientations.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Space, Place, and Sex Review December 3, 2011

By anabel gamez

Format:Paperback

Space, Place and Sex is a detailed book overviewing the geography of sexualities. The authors review all types of sexualities and creatively discuss each one by one and how they tie in to geography. They connect all sexualities to a virtual and physical world. After I read this book I came to realize that I understood each sexual identity and its practices. What I enjoyed most about the book was that it made me think critically and gave me a greater insight to all sexualities and why they do what they do and where it takes place. I very much enjoyed this book and recommend it to any cultural geography courses.

4.0 out of 5 stars Very enlightening to other sexualities December 1, 2012

By Lisa

Format:Paperback

I greatly enjoyed reading this book. Not only was it eye-opening to other sexualities and how they live and are treated, it covered a wide range of topic from rural sexuality to nude beaches to tourism, many of which I had never especially put thought into before. This book discusses both queer and non-queer spaces and places in a way that everyone can understand and engage in. I had a good time reading this book, and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in the topic of different sexualities. You will learn a lot reading this book.