Thesis (M.A.)--Wheaton College Graduate School, 2008. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 137-143).

Thesis (M.A.)--Wheaton College Graduate School, 2008. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 137-143).

This thesis consists of an anthropological investigation of discourses and practices associated with premarital sexuality in the context of contemporary urban Turkey. Grounded in thirteen months of ethnographic fieldwork in Istanbul, this thesis draws on the experiences of local women – and to some extent, local men – threading on their concerns and experiences about virginity and premarital sex while exploring the relationship between sexual moralities and the city, controversies on the theme of abortion, the relationship between contraceptive choices and sexual moralities, the normativity of marriage and the respective construction of the marriageable subject, and the centrality of perceptions about the hymen in articulating processes of social reproduction. Through an exploration of these realms of experience, the thesis argues that an ethnographic approach to sexual moralities in the context of Turkey benefits from an historical approach to the events of the foundation of the republic. I suggest that the rhetoric of territorial loss, territorial partition and defence of actual and symbolic frontiers is a crucial part of processes of socialisation of new generations into contemporary identities, and is relived in people’s perceptions of the rupture of the hymen. Thus, the hymenocentric approach to virginity in Turkey conflates history and a politics of belonging in terms of a mereographic nexus of part/ whole, manifested in dilemmas of belonging as ‘part of’ (family, neighbourhood, city, and nation) or as ‘apart from’ (family, neighbourhood, city, and nation). This, I suggest, allows younger generations into an embodied mimetic experience of the initial dramas posed at the foundation of the republic.

L’idée de la virginité éveille en nous des sentiments contradictoires. En même temps que le respect, un désir sacrilège de découvrir, de conquérir, de s’emparer, de s’approprier, nous gagne déjà, lorsque « vierge » vient qualifier la nature d’une terre inexplorée, d’une forêt, d’une planète ou un monde antédiluvien. Nous voulons entreprendre un état des lieux à propos de la virginité. Nous souhaitons qu’il contribue à éclairer les causes de sa prégnance sur la culture. Le domaine de notre questionnement est celui des formations de l’inconscient. La démarche sera dirigée sur la recherche d’universaux en mesure d’éclairer notre entreprise. Nous nous appuierons sur la théorie psychanalytique et les apports cliniques de la littérature de la discipline. Des vignettes seront également incluses pour étayer une recherche orientée sur la virginité comme préoccupation manifeste, et la vierge comme objet de désir. Nous mettrons à contribution le vaste champ des sciences humaines (mythologie, philosophie, histoire, anthropologie, sociologie...) et l’histoire. Ces disciplines seront interrogées au titre de sources parce qu’elles fournissent un matériau de contrepoint à la clinique, mais aussi parce qu’elles apportent des points de vue et des positions de recul pour mettre des réponses en suspens et confronter les concepts psychanalytique à d’autres références. Nous examinerons des textes religieux et exégétiques comportant des contenus intéressant notre propos. Une priorité sera accordée aux religions du Livre. Les productions artistiques ainsi que les discours concernant les oeuvres et les processus créatifs pourront également constituer des supports de réflexion.Notre enquête sera également nourrie par des textes pour la plupart empruntés à la littérature française. / The idea of virginity awakens in us contradictory feelings. At the same time as respect, a sacrilegious desire to discover, to conquer, to seize, appeals to us, when « virgin » comes to describe the nature of an unexplored ground, a planet or an old-fashioned world. We will undertake an analysis of the current views of virginity, hoping that it will help clarify the reasons for its dominance in culture. Our questioning will be concerned with the forming of the unconscious. We will be researching universals and using psychoanalytical theory as well as clinical contributions from the literature on the subject.Vignettes will also be included to support a research project about the preoccupation with virginity and the virgin as an object of desire. We will resort to the very broad fields of human sciences (mythology, philosophy, history, sociology, anthropology) and history. These disciplines will be questioned as sources because they act as a counterpoint to clinical practice, but also because they provide distance and hindsight to raise unsettled answers and confront psychoanalytical concepts with other references. We shall examine religious texts and exegetic relevant to our purpose. Priority will be granted to the religions of the Book. The artistic productions as well as the discourses on the works and the creative processes can also fuel our reflection. Our investigation will be also fed by texts which belong to French literature.

Discussion between Mexican migrant mothers and Mexican-American daughters in the United States and their changing perceptions of sexuality were studied. Literature review is presented to give the reader insight into the cultural, media, music and identity issues faced by Mexican-American women and how these aspects affect their perceptions of sexuality. Sixteen Mexican-American college women volunteered to complete a questionnaire about their experiences discussing sexuality with their mothers. Analysis of the responses through use of quotes from literature and examples of study participant responses were used to understand the experiences shared by these women. The results showed that the mothers were not explicitly discussing sexuality with their daughters, but that the daughters were getting their information from other sources such as friends, school, and media. The conclusions that were drawn from the literature review and questionnaire responses are that Mexican-American daughters are blending their mother’s ideas as well as their own in shaping their perceptions on sexuality. The literature review depicts this blending through works from Mexican-American women. / text

Thesis (B.A.)--Haverford College, Dept. of Religion, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology in the Department of Psychology at the University Of Zululand, 2017 / Virginity testing stands at the forefront in South Africa’s battle against the spread of HIV/AIDS. Most of rural communities uphold and insist that Black South African girls must remain virgins until marriage, with a belief that virginity is the greatest defense against the spread of HIV/AIDS. In South Africa, virginity testing is mainly practiced in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape (Scorgie, 2002). Although this custom contributes meaning and value to most traditional people, it has been heavily criticized and also challenged by the community. The objectives of the study include the following: (a) to explore the experiences encountered by virginity testers, both positive and negative experiences, (b) to find out under which circumstances virginity testers do their work. A qualitative study was carried out in the rural areas of Mubatuba, KwaZulu-Natal. Eight female participants were used in the study, with the ages ranging between 40 and 64. Snowball sampling method was used to recruit participants. The bits and pieces of the collected data were coded into meaningful patterns and analyzed using content thematic analysis. The study managed to shed light on the perspectives of virginity testers. While it is seen by virginity testers as an effective tool for prevention of pregnancy and HIV/AIDS infections in rural areas, rape has become a big problem. While promoting virginity testing one should also look and think about issues related to the safety and security of both young girls and virginity testers.

The South African Constitution and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and other international law instruments are missioned to ensure the advancement and protection of women by eradicating discriminatory actions targeting women, on any platform. The introduction of the Maiden Bursary, to advance the futures of young women, seeks to empower women. However, the process of achieving this advancement perpetuates negative gender stereotypes and a safe haven for discrimination. Therefore, this thesis unpacks the constitutionality and assesses the extent to which the bursary may limit constitutional rights such as equality and dignity. This thesis roots its argument on case law, legislation, and existing literature on virginity testing.

No description available.

Thesis (S.T.L.)--Catholic University of America, 2000. / Includes Latin version with English translation of "Consecration to a life of virginity." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 109-111).