Histories of French Sexuality: From the Enlightenment to the Present ed. by Nina Kushner, and Andrew Israel Ross (review)

Reviewed by: Histories of French Sexuality: From the Enlightenment to the Present ed. by Nina Kushner, and Andrew Israel Ross Celina Vargas Kushner, Nina, and Andrew Israel Ross, eds. Histories of French Sexuality: From the Enlightenment to the Present. UP of Nebraska, 2023. ISBN 978-1-4962-3549-7. Pp. 360. Scholars from many backgrounds will be able to find valuable information stitched into these intersectional folds of French history explored through the lens of sexuality. Kushner and Ross acknowledge Michel Foucault's contribution to sex studies but argue that his work did not ultimately inspire French research between sex and history. This volume spans several centuries as each author pulls the connecting thread of sexuality and, along with references to other contributors' work, they weave a cohesive fabric that patches the perceived gap in research. Several themes are prevalent across chapters, first and foremost, laws governing over French bodies and reinforcing power structures. Both Jennifer J. Davis and Jennifer Anne Boittin's essays investigate imperialistic control over colonized areas and how fears of sexual relations across "race lines" could weaken French prestige. France enacted laws to either prohibit colonizer-colonized marriage, and later, attempted to enforce systems of repatriation for citizens who did not adhere to sexual standards. Prostitution, in contrast, was regulated as Michelle K. Rhoades explains, but once women were visible in the streets and interrupting rather than supporting local business, authorities became involved. Essays by Cathy McClive and Sarah Horowitz show how court cases were publicized and how accusations of sexual assault were handled both in the 18th century with the Cadière-Girard Affair and sexual scandal in the 20th century with the Steinheil Affair. These affairs brought attention to the 'debauchery' of the clergy as well as political figures, marring their reputations. Although the Enlightenment seemingly began a sexual revolution that would end the stigma of sex and pleasure, Lisa Jane Graham argues that it was rather a transmutation of religious attitudes into moral justifications. Discussions of happiness versus pleasure in concurrent literature make it clear that individuals struggled with how to moralize sex through secular means. As Jessie Hewitt also demonstrates, the medicalization of sex adds to discussions of how the fin-de-siècle French government attempted to navigate doctor/patient relations. Degeneration theory permeates discussions of medical disclosure in consideration of French patriotism and general ideas about who should be able to reproduce and under what circumstances. The pattern that emerges is the prioritization of men within the heterosexual relationship; the sexual marginalization of women becomes clear through these dialogues. In literal dialogues with the French public, Sarah Fishman posits, women's magazines pushed societal standards and validated male power, leaving women to walk the fine line between prude and whore. While this collection focuses on heteronormative stories, Tamara Chaplin and Ross highlight queer spaces that developed and that either grew with police involvement, or failed, as was the case with the Minitel system which did End Page 115 not provide lesbian users with the ideal privacy for continuing their pre-Internet relationships. Ultimately, this volume highlights the prevalence of sex and imagines it in constant reaction with politics and other human-made social constructs. End Page 116 Celina Vargas University of California, Davis Copyright © 2024 American Association of Teachers of French