Abstract

The paper presents an overview some of the basic trends in the development of an Anglo-American sociology of sexualities over the past thirty years, and suggests some directions forward based upon a growing concern of "bodies". It argues that whereas early work had to get away from the preoccupation with sex as natural and biological in order to show just how social the sexual really was, more recent work has recognised the need to "bring the body back in". Recent work on the sociology of the body may help in this task, and some suggestions for further research are outlined.