Dana Kaplan – författare

Sexualiteten har alltid varit en del av samhället och påverkats av sociala krafter. I dag, i den senmoderna världen, är den lika sammanflätad med ekonomin som den tidigare har varit med religionen. Så det är kanske inte så konstigt att man har börjat tala om ”sexuellt kapital” – och detta både inom sociologin och till vardags. Metaforen gör gällande att sex är en tillgång som, utöver den sexuella aktiviteten i sig, kan bli vinstgivande i framtiden. I sin bok urskiljer sociologerna Dana Kaplan och Eva Illouz fyra olika typer av sexuellt kapital och belyser de omständigheter som har format dessa. De driver tesen att nyliberalismen har förändrat det sexuella kapitalets karaktär och att den förändringen ligger bakom så skilda fenomen som sexfester i Silicon Valley, kosmetisk intimkirurgi för en välbeställd medelklass och en förmodad förmåga att skaffa sig självkänsla genom sexuella förbindelser och investera detta självvärde i sin egen anställningsbarhet. Det är uppenbart att kapitalismen bidrar till att reproducera heteronormativa och könsspecifika manus och narrativ, men frågan vi bör ställa oss är också hur den nyliberala sexualiteten – och det sexuella kapital den kan skapa – bidrar till att reproducera kapitalismen. Dana Kaplan, född 1970, har doktorerat i socio­logi vid Hebreiska universitet i Jerusalem och därefter universitetet vid Öppna universitetet i Ra’anana. Eva Illouz, född 1961, är professor i sociologi vid Hebreiska universitetet i Jerusalem och studierektor vid Centre européen de sociologie et de science politique, i Paris. Daidalos har tidigare givit ut hennes "Därför gör kärlek ont", "Därför tar kärleken slut" och "Israel. Sociologiska essäer".

This book does to sex what other sociologists did to culture: it shows that sex, no longer defined by religion, now plays a role in the economy and can yield tangible benefits in the realms of money, status, and occupation. How do people accumulate sexual capital, and what are the returns for investing money, time, knowledge, and energy in establishing and enhancing our sexual selves?Dana Kaplan and Eva Illouz disentangle the current cultural politics of heterosexual life, arguing that sex – that messy amalgam of sexual affects and experiences – has increasingly assumed an economic character. Some may opt for plastic surgery to beautify their face or body, while others may consume popular sex advice or attend seduction classes. Beyond particular practices such as these, the authors trace an emerging form of “neoliberal” sexual capital, which is the ability to glean self-appreciation from sexual encounters and to use this self-value to foster employability, as exemplified by Silicon Valley sex parties.This highly original book will appeal to students and scholars in sociology, anthropology, gender studies, and cultural studies and to anyone interested in the nature of sex and how it is changing today.

This book does to sex what other sociologists did to culture: it shows that sex, no longer defined by religion, now plays a role in the economy and can yield tangible benefits in the realms of money, status, and occupation. How do people accumulate sexual capital, and what are the returns for investing money, time, knowledge, and energy in establishing and enhancing our sexual selves?Dana Kaplan and Eva Illouz disentangle the current cultural politics of heterosexual life, arguing that sex – that messy amalgam of sexual affects and experiences – has increasingly assumed an economic character. Some may opt for plastic surgery to beautify their face or body, while others may consume popular sex advice or attend seduction classes. Beyond particular practices such as these, the authors trace an emerging form of “neoliberal” sexual capital, which is the ability to glean self-appreciation from sexual encounters and to use this self-value to foster employability, as exemplified by Silicon Valley sex parties.This highly original book will appeal to students and scholars in sociology, anthropology, gender studies, and cultural studies and to anyone interested in the nature of sex and how it is changing today.

This book does to sex what other sociologists did to culture: it shows that sex, no longer defined by religion, now plays a role in the economy and can yield tangible benefits in the realms of money, status, and occupation. How do people accumulate sexual capital, and what are the returns for investing money, time, knowledge, and energy in establishing and enhancing our sexual selves?

Dana Kaplan and Eva Illouz disentangle the current cultural politics of heterosexual life, arguing that sex – that messy amalgam of sexual affects and experiences – has increasingly assumed an economic character. Some may opt for plastic surgery to beautify their face or body, while others may consume popular sex advice or attend seduction classes. Beyond particular practices such as these, the authors trace an emerging form of “neoliberal” sexual capital, which is the ability to glean self-appreciation from sexual encounters and to use this self-value to foster employability, as exemplified by Silicon Valley sex parties.

This highly original book will appeal to students and scholars in sociology, anthropology, gender studies, and cultural studies and to anyone interested in the nature of sex and how it is changing today.