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Sexual attraction and childhood association : a Chinese brief for Edward Westermarck / Arthur P. Wolf.
Author
Wolf, Arthur P.
[Browse]
Format
Book
Language
English
Published/Created
Stanford, Calif. : Stanford University Press, 1995.
Description
xxiii, 561 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
Availability
Copies in the Library
Location
Call Number
Status
Location Service
Notes
ReCAP - Remote Storage
GT2783.5 .W65 1995
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Details
Subject(s)
Marriage customs and rites
—
China
[Browse]
Sexual attraction
—
China
[Browse]
Sex in marriage
—
China
[Browse]
Incest
—
China
[Browse]
Taboo
—
China
[Browse]
Child abuse
—
China
[Browse]
China
—
Social life and customs
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Westermarck, Edward 1862-1939
—
Philosophy
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Summary note
In 1891, the anthropologist Edward Westermarck proposed that early childhood association inhibits sexual attraction and that this aversion was manifested in custom and law as the basis of the universal incest taboo. Then, in 1910, in the essays later published as Totem and Taboo, Sigmund Freud challenged the "Westermarck hypothesis" on the ground that "the earliest sexual excitations of youthful human beings are invariably of an incestuous character." The incest taboo only existed, Freud argued, because of this natural propensity.
Freud's challenge carried the day and became the standard view throughout the social and biological sciences. Consequently, the question was: why do all societies repress this natural inclination? Biologists argued that the incest taboo protected us from dangers of inbreeding; sociologists argued that it was necessary to prevent sexual rivalry that would destroy the family; and anthropologists saw the real purpose of the taboo as forcing families to exchange women in marriage.
The book uses a wide range of research - from studies of nonhuman primates to reports of incestuous child abuse - from African divorce practices to animal behavior - to demonstrate that Westermarck was right and Freud wrong. It shows that there is a critical period in human development - approximately the first thirty months of life - during which association permanently inhibits sexual attraction. It concludes that the incest taboo is unnecessary and cannot be explained in functional terms, and that encouraging early association between father and daughter is probably the best way of preventing sexual abuse.
Bibliographic references
Includes bibliographical references (p. [519]-551) and index.
ISBN
0804724261 ((alk. paper))
9780804724265 ((alk. paper))
LCCN
95018842
OCLC
32508147
Statement on language in description
Princeton University Library aims to describe library materials in a manner that is respectful to the individuals and communities who create, use, and are represented in the collections we manage.
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Sexual attraction and childhood association : a Chinese brief for Edward Westermarck / Arthur P. Wolf.
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SCSB-3277381