David Halperin: history and sexuality In his chapter on history and sexuality, David Halperin quotes anthropologist Maurice Goddelier: œIt is not sexuality which haunts society, but society which haunts the body’s sexuality. The following is an evaluation of this quote, referring to ideas and theories. Body’s sexuality is greatly determined by the society. David Halperin supports this view by citing an example of the classical Athenians, which is still applicable in much of today’s society. He notes that the then Athenian society, construed sexuality based on the principles that were seared in the then Athenian society. As he opines, the Athenian polity had some form of œinterdependence between the two social acts and subjective performances. Sexuality did not determine the secrets of human individuality, more so in the ancient societies. He gives the idea that in most ancient worlds, human personality wasn’t determined by the sexuality but instead a carried or conducted himself during contests with fellow males. However, he doesn’t overlook the view that it is the factors of the later society which chartered the course of perceiving human personality using sexuality. Thus, his interpretation of œ¦but society which haunts the body’s sexuality is blamed on societal factors that befell the later era society which names as œthe modern social and economical conditions (p. 262). The societal issues are characterized by sexuality. Matters regarding the society such as earthly fortunes, political issues will be reflected by sexuality which the writer views as the society haunting the society. The writer doesn’t overlook that societal issues may haunt sexuality through sexual fantasies but there may be nothing regarding the dreamer’s psychology. However, he is quick to admit that sexual dreams are often reflection of societal issues where they signify. Halperin settles on this idea by drawing from an ancient dream-interpreter, Artemidorus, whose perception of dreams was œsexual norms¦public life, not erotic life, as the principal tenor of dreams. Halperin uses œpublic life as the principal tenor of dreams to put his idea that it was the society that haunted the sexuality and uses the quote œnot erotic life to opine his idea that œit is not the sexuality that haunts the society. Halperin props his idea by showing societal issues such as fortunes by using a œpenetrative superior and an œinsertive inferior. He cites a case where a man may have an erotic dream with his mother. He puts it that-albeit depending on the sexual postures of the partners in the dream and the style of penetration by the dreamers- it signifies œthat the dreamer will be successful in politics (p.263). Examples of other potential explanations as cited by the writer are œgo into exile or return from exile, œwin his lawsuit, œa rich harvest from his lands and œchange professionals. All of the explanations described namely the politics, exile, lawsuit, rich harvest and change professionals are societal issues (Halperin, 2004). Using these vivid examples, Halperin to sear into our minds the ways in which the society haunts the sexuality. Halperin uses another vivid description of sexuality and society. In this example that he uses, sexuality may be taken to portray a prediction but a description not taken to mean sexuality. He cites an example of two cultures where sexual dreams had sexual meanings: Kagwahiv and Mehinaku cultures (Halperin, 1989 ). He gives an example of a man dreaming about the female genitalia. As he notes, such a dream was taken to signify a wound. However, it wasn’t anyone who could be a potential victim for getting that wound rather, œand so a man who has such a dream has to be careful: the writer doesn’t state that a woman with such a dream has to be careful. Later on the article, Halperin states that œdreamt wounds do not symbolize the female genitalia (p. 263). Of all the ideas that the writer makes, perhaps this is the best that matches to the above quote. Delving into the quote and the interpretation of a dream from the Kagwahiv and Mehinaku cultures makes a vivid correlation. In the two cultures: œdreaming about the female genitalia portends a wound¦while dreamt wounds do not symbolize the female genitalia. Evaluating this with the dream interpretation there is an excellent relationship between it and œit is not sexuality that haunts the society but the society which haunts the body’s sexuality. Thus, in this case, dream can be matched to sexuality and society matched to the wound (Henry & Barale, 1993). As the dreamt wounds do not symbolize the female genitalia, in our case, it is not sexuality that haunts the society. Similarly, dreaming about the female genitalia portends a wound, in our case; it is the society which haunts the body’s sexuality. Society can be responsible for the sexuality but sexuality cannot be responsible for the society. A quote from Halperin’s article sums it all, the social body precedes the sexual body. Conclusion With the ideas he uses about sexuality and examples that he draws from different cultures, Halperin shows the faults on the conceptualization of sexuality. He points out that various cultures in antiquity recognized sexuality and that it is apparent, open and collective. It is the societies that did not recognize it and have not been affected by the West that are affected by it. References Halperin David (1989). Is There a History of Sexuality? Wiley-Blackwell: New Jersey David, H. (2004). How to Do the History of Homosexuality. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Henry, A & Barale M. (1993). The Lesbian and Gay studies reader. New York: Routledge.