Rethinking Circumcision and Sexuality in the United States

Abstract

The sexual dimensions to circumcision are a neglected topic of inquiry for sex and gender researchers. This article argues that sociological discourse on circumcision has ignored a critique of circumcision on the grounds of gender and sexuality. The first section explains the history and preponderance of routinized male circumcision in the USA and it also describes some contours to the circumcision debate. In the second section, gender theory is explored for possible statements on male circumcision and sexuality. The third section maps out some ways through which circumcision impacts a man's sexual feeling, repertoires and forms of pleasure, and the article concludes that circumcised and uncircumcised men are differentially sexed.