Bisexuality and the Politics of Normal in African Ethnography

摘要: Anthropologists have played a central role in documenting the diversity of human sexuality as it is understood and expressed different cultures around world. Scholars many other disciplines, including my own history, are often heavily dependent upon their research. However, Lyons (2004) among others persuasively demonstrated, anthropologists at times "conscripted" select evidence even fabricated "facts" about people they studied order to advance ideals preferences societies. By conjuring idealized or exoticized Others, helped create an understanding "normal" "modern" by way contrast. This has resulted body purportedly empirical scientific data that retrospect we can see deeply flawed, morally normative, sometimes actually complicit construction maintenance racist colonialist structures. Indeed, one African critic, ethnography generated European American scholars from 1920s 1950s was so "useless" terms only useful today extent sheds light on how those colonial structures could function (Owusu 1978).1Owusu much too harsh such sweeping judgment. In least specific area, however, critique warranted significant degree. commonplace assumption assertion unqualified fact Africans south Sahara either did not practice samesex traditional societies, rarely inconsequential. From vast generalizations late 18th- 19th-century travellers, colonial-era codifications custom, modern studies sexually transmitted diseases, sexuality, prisons masculinities, social science research tended portray virtually unique world this respect. Same-sex issues meanwhile remain largely invisible resources available HIV/AIDS educators Africa, what otherwise frank discussions sexual health cultures. The non-existence irrelevance homosexual transmission black apparently given typically does warrant footnote web-link material.2And yet, since Dynes (1983) Aina (1991) first flagged hidden homosexuality bisexuality Africa potentially important questions, growing research, activism, art comprehensively demonstrated falseness "fact" Africans' exclusive heterosexuality. Moodie (1994), Harries Gevisser Cameron Murray Roscoe (1998), Kendall (1999), Lockhart (2002), Njinje Alberton Epprecht (2004), GALZ Goddard (In press) Morgan Wieringa (2005), for example, thoroughly document presence diverse expressions same-sex Africa-in institutions present-day settings. A growing, pan-African network lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender intersex (LGBTI) associations also attests diverse, indigenous, bisexual practices Africa.3 range images written produced fiction, theatre film further destabilizes stereotype "pure" heterosexual.4These sources whole do propose timeless, archetypal gay lesbian opposition older stereotype. Rather, women men who relations most continue marry, children, engage heterosexual relationships. Whether should properly be termed "bisexual" matter debate. whether sex with but identify homo- (MSM), (WSW) exist greater numbers commonly assumed asserted cannot good scholarship disputed. …