Bolshevik Sexual Forensics

Autori

• Dan Healey

Parametri

• Hobby
• Mappe e viaggi
• Saggistica
• Viaggi

Maggiori informazioni sul libro

In an effort to modernize criminal and civil investigations, early Bolsheviks empowered forensic doctors, primarily trained under the tsarist regime, to address issues of sexuality. They believed forensic medicine could offer scientific solutions to sexual disorder in the new society. This exploration of Russian and Soviet forensic medicine examines its authority in confronting sexual disorder. Healey compares sex crime investigations from Petrograd and Sverdlovsk in the 1920s with publications by forensic doctors and psychiatrists from prerevolutionary and early Soviet periods, highlighting the specialists' roles. The study also delves into how doctors diagnosed and treated hermaphroditism, revealing a revolutionary perspective that considered individual desire. It sheds light on the radical and reactionary forces influencing the Bolshevik "sexual revolution" as lawmakers redefined sexual crime and disorder. Forensic doctors grappled with replacing the age of consent with "sexual maturity," which framed female sexuality as a collective resource rather than an individual trait. Concepts like "innocence," "experience," and virginity were pivotal in rape and abuse trials. While psychiatrists distanced themselves from sexual psychology in their investigations, Soviet physicians explored the desires of the two-sexed citizen, leading to a modern approach to the "erasure" of the hermaphrodite. Ultimately, Healey concludes that the v

Lingua: Inglese

Pubblicato: 2022

(In brossura)