The Politics of Passion: Women's Sexual Culture in the Afro-Surinamese Diaspora

Gloria Wekker analyzes the phenomenon of mati work, an old practice among Afro-Surinamese working-class women in which marriage is rejected in favor of male and female sexual partners. Wekker vividly describes the lives of these women, who prefer to create alternative families of kin, lovers, and children, and gives a fascinating account of women's sexuality that is not limited to either heterosexuality or same-sex sexuality. She offers new perspectives on the lives of Caribbean women, transnational gay and lesbian movements, and an Afro-Surinamese tradition that challenges conventional Western notions of marriage, gender, identity, and desire. Bringing these women's voices to the forefront, she offers an extensive and groundbreaking analysis of the unique historical, religious, psychological, economic, linguistic, cultural, and political forces that have shaped their lives.

Author: Gloria Wekker
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Published: 04/25/2006
Pages: 336
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.98lbs
Size: 8.96h x 6.10w x 0.72d
ISBN13: 9780231131636
ISBN10: 0231131631
BISAC Categories:
- Social Science | Women's Studies
- Social Science | Ethnic Studies | General
- Social Science | Feminism & Feminist Theory