Fluent Essays

Total word count between 350-450.Reading link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zYv0_CEhQTw3LTGfN... (unhitching the Horse from the carriage)Answer all parts of the following question: 1A. According to the article “Unhitching the Horse from the Carriage,” the Mosuo people of Lake Lugu in China have been practicing a form of sexual union called tisese. Explain how the institution of tisese operates for Mosuo women, children, and family. How does biological paternity and sexuality work for the Mosuo women and men?1B. How have the Chinese government and tourism transformed the Mosuo tisesesystem and family life?1C. The tisese of the Mosuo and the boy-wife system of the Azande that we studied several weeks ago are both unique types of sexual unions. In a few sentences, describe two of the key differences between these two systems. azande.pdf Unformatted Attachment Preview Early Ethnographies Ethnography is the signature methodology of anthropology Early Studies of Sexuality Ethnographic studies were of small numbers of people – Researchers cannot find safety in numbers – Different meanings of sexuality – Sexual behavior often taken out of its context Limits of Early Ethnographies Ethnocentricism “weird customs,” “sexual lives of ‘savages’” Gender/Race Bias of Researchers White male researchers studying non-white societies Sir Edward Evan Evans-Pritchard (1902-1973) Azande People in South Sudan • They are called both Zande and Azande • In South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo Azande/Zande • Ethnically mixed; different languages • 3.8 million; polygyny Contemporary Azande PreColonial Azande • Azande were organized in warrior kingdoms with male soldiers who lived in barracks • The ruling class had large harems – they controlled access to young women and their sexuality and reproduction • Harems led to a scarcity of women – girls were married very young and child betrothal was widely practiced • Poor, young men could not access young girls for marriage • Rich men v. poor men • He studied boy-wives after 65 years of its disappearance from Azande society E.E. Pritchard • He depended on older men and their memories • There was no societal shame about a young man being a “boy-wife” • Boy-wives were not seen as gay as we understand in the West today Precolonial Azande Customs As Told to EvansPritchard • Azande did not approve of anal intercourse • Boy-wife was a social marriage to fulfill some sexual and companionship needs of poor soldiers • The practice of male-to male sex was prevalent among the nobility Boy-Wives Among the Azande • Married men and bachelors lived in military barracks • Bridewealth was difficult for poorer soldiers – Bridewealth refers to the transfer of resources from the man’s family to the woman’s family • Poor bachelors took on young boys as surrogate wives Soldier Husbands of Boy-Wives • Men would pay 5 spears for a boy-wife • Act as son-in-law; perform duties for in-laws • They may later get a daughter as wife from the boy-wife’s family • One soldier could sue another man for ‘adultery’ – sexual relations with his boy-wife • When boy-wives grew up, they and their ‘husbands’ married and adopted heterosexual lifestyles • Roles of BoyWives • • • These young males between the ages of 1220 They were referred to as “women” Relationship was similar to that of a marriage – It was not purely a sexual relation Boy-wives performed many services – Cooking, cleaning, maintaining the household – Carried the warrior’s shield on journeys – Could not cook porridge or fowl; that was special cooking done by mother-inlaw •Apprenticeship Relationship –they learned how to be a warrior/man from their soldier husbands To summarize Boy-Wives • Sexual intercourse was between the thigh and not anal penetration • Form of companionship for lonely soldiers • Social, Sexual and Educational aspects Decline of Boy-Wife Marriage • Boy-wife marriage disappeared after British colonial contact • The British dismantled the Azande kingdoms and military companies – Nobility were removed from power – Soldiers were disbanded and sent home – Thus, women became more available – Colonialism brought in Christian missionaries who reformed Azande society • Lesbianism and Early Azande Society • In polygynous families, lesbianism was practiced – In the harems, you had one husband, multiple females – There was a lack of sexual contact for the females Note: There were probably many women in the harem who were lesbians and preferred female-female sex and companionship Azande men were afraid of lesbianism – The fact that women could satisfy themselves would lead men to lose their sexual authority – They associated lesbianism with witchcraft • Baghuru Baghuru (Female Friendship) – Formal female friendship • Close intimacy between two women with husband’s permission • Baghuru considered as cover for lesbianism in Azande society • Sexuality as socially constructed (constructivism) • These arrangements (boywife/baghuru) exceed the sexual; there provided societal needs Implications • Pritchard is one of the few early male anthropologists who included women’s sexual identities in his research • Institutional social forms (boywife/baghuru) in Azande society informed by its patriarchal attitudes ... 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