African Sexual Extraversion and Getting into Bed with Robert Mapplethorpe
Donald L. Donham
Chapter from the book: Donham, D. 2018. The Erotics of History: An Atlantic African Example.
Part of
Chapter from the book: Donham, D. 2018. The Erotics of History: An Atlantic African Example.
The chapter begins with a discussion of Bataille’s theory of eroticism and connects it to Bayart’s theory of political extraversion—that is, that African social actors build power by creating relationships of external dependence. This is proposed as an alternative theoretical apparatus for interpreting the “sexuality” of the African men discussed in previous chapters. Conversely, the author explores the fetishism of the black body in Western gay culture and specific racialized masculinities. In relation to this, there is a discussion of Robert Mapplethorpe’s “Man in Polyester Suit.”
Donham, D. 2018. African Sexual Extraversion and Getting into Bed with Robert Mapplethorpe. In: Donham, D, The Erotics of History. California: University of California Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1525/luminos.45.f
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Published on March 9, 2018