The contribution of Gilbert Herdt, a renowned America cultural anthropologist, to this field of science can’t be overestimated by no means. The specialization of his studies on construction of gender and sexual attitudes, practices and identities has made possible the significant expansion of cultural anthropology in such interdisciplinary sphere as discourse and communication studies. His theoretical generalizations are built on empirical studies of ‘Sambia people’ (he created this pseudonym) for which he devoted the bulk of his research activities. The theoretical assumptions underlying his empirical studies concerned a long-standing tradition of structuralist and discourse studies, first formulated by Claude Levi-Strauss, renowned French scholar of the 20-th century. Moreover, following the dominant currents in contemporary gender and sexuality analysis he uses the Foucauldean schemata of discourse formation and practices’ constitution. Proceeding from the basic methodological point relating to the fact that discourses constitute practices and provide structure of the meaning for their realization, he applies it to the empirical study of Sambia rites and customs, attempting to find out how sexual meanings and practices constitute various layers of social order. Apart from this he paid a lot of attention to the study of adolescents, the dissemination of HIV/AIDS and gay culture in the United States. His contribution to the field amount to 30 books and about 100 scientific papers and essays on different topics.
To understand his comprehensive contribution to the field of anthropology of gender and sexuality this paper analysis his research on “ritualized homosexuality” and “boy insemination” in terms of these theories implications on scientific understanding of sexuality and sexual orientation.
Herdt’s study of rites and customs in Sambia culture showed that homosexuality plays unique role in socialization practices and unlike modern western societies is institutionalized in the fabric of dominant social meanings. This phenomenon was described by him as “ritualized sexuality” which according to Herdt was “clearly known from only a small number – perhaps 10 or 20 percent – of all Melanesian groups that have been studied” (Herdt, 1984a: p. 8). Besides this some generalizations and conclusions, according to Herd are possible. The Sambia tribes regard women as inferior creatures due to their reproductive functions and menstrual fluids; thus, separate living of sexes is maintained. Male children rest with their mothers only for the period of six-twelve months and then, after the rite of first initiation (there are six initiations during 14 years) are taken by the male tribesmen, who brought them up.
“Ritual homosexuality”, thus is regarded by Herdt as a gender practice, which demonstrates and symbolically constitutes the superior status of Sambia men and postulates the inferior position of women that can be reduced to reproductive functions. Herdt claims that sexuality and sexual orientation has social meaning deeply embedded in the social structure of society, like some “topos” that exposes its structure. Homosexuality as the case of Ancient Greece supposes, thus, due to Herdt findings must be regarded in new light. As Herdt notes in regard to the symbolism of homosexual act in Sambia culture (all italics are mine): “The homosexual act incorporates the boy into a new group, the ritual cult, with a new status and role. The boy’s insemination coheres with the native view, universal in (RH) cultures, that the key (manifest) goal of homosexual contact is to get sperm inside the boy’s body [orally or anally] so he can grow” (Herdt, 1984a: p.61).
Thus, we can claim that Herdt analysis of homosexuality in terms of socialization practices provides anthropology with new and prospective approach to sexuality and sexual orientation.
Another contribution concerns the research of so called “boy insemination” which can be called in structuralist manner the “economy of semen transaction”. This rite is embedded in the process of initiation and “ritualized homosexuality”. Contrary to the majority of anthropologists that considered this rite not to be relevant and principal to the process of initiation and socialization, Herdt regards it as a marker of “symbolical dominance” of males in Sambia culture. It links other practices of gender domination with eroticism, thus postulating the inherent interdependence of sexual and social. Semen is regarded by Sambia people as the source of growth and becoming masculine. As Herdt’s notes, “Male growth after weaning comes mostly from homosexual insemination following initiation. This semen-nourishment form is male monjapi’u, which men liken to breast-feeding… In sum, semen creates biological growth directly in initiates and wives through sexual contact, primary fellatio… (Herdt, 1984b: 182). Thus, Herdt enriched sexual anthropology with crucial finding of homosexuality and sexual behavior, which promoted the development of homosexual studies that for a long period of time were regarded as morally untenable.
To sum it up, Herdt’s contribution to anthropology of sex is crucial due to his comprehensive empirical studies of Sambia people and critical generalizations made on the basis of the most perspective modern theories of discourse and social constructivism.
References
- Herdt, Gilbert, Ed. Ritualized Homosexuality in Melanesia. Berkeley, California: University of California Press, 1984.
- Herdt, Gilbert. The Sambia: Ritual, Sexuality, and Change in Papua New Guinea. London: Powell books.