Exploring the Body
A History of the Penis and the Clitoris. Is the clitoris simply a female version of the male penis? Many scientists and biologists in the past thought so. It is only in recent decades that the physiology of the clitoris has become understood. What can debates about these two organs tell us about scientific knowledge and gender identities? How have ideas about the "ideal penis" changed since the eighteenth century? What effect have these shifts had on the way men and women know their bodies?
Joanna Bourke is a well-known social and cultural historian. She is a Fellow of the British Academy and outgoing Chair of its Modern History Section, as well as holding the Global Innovations Chair at the University of Newcastle (Australia).
(from gresham.ac.uk)
| Lecture 4 - A History of the Penis and the Clitoris |
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