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Cover of Indian Sex Life

Indian Sex Life

Written by Durba Mitra

1.01 rating

302 pages, about 6 hours of reading

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About this book

"During the colonial period, Indian intellectuals--philologists, lawyers, scientists and literary figures--all sought to hold a mirror to their country. Whether they wrote novels, polemics, or scientific treatises, all sought a better understanding of society in general and their society in particular. Curiously, female sexuality and sexual behavior play an outside role in their writing. The figure of the prostitute is ubiquitous in everything from medical texts and treatises on racial evolution to anti-Muslim polemic and studies of ancient India. In this book, Durba Mitra argues that between the 1840s and the 1940s, the new science of sexuality became foundational to the scientific study of Indian social progress. The colonial state and an emerging set of Bengali male intellectuals extended the regulation of sexuality to far-reaching projects that sought to define what society should look like and how modern citizens should behave. An exploration of this history of social scientific thought offers new perspectives to understand the power of paternalistic and deeply violent claims about sexual norms in the postcolonial world today. These histories reveal the enduring authority of scientific claims to a tradition that equates social good with the control of women's free will and desire. Thus, they managed to dramatically reorganize their society around upper-caste Hindu ideals of strict monogamy"--

Reading guide

Themes, characters and key ideas in Indian Sex Life, written by Chaptra AI.

  • about 12 hours
  • advanced
  • analytical
  • historical
  • critical

Durba Mitra's "Indian Sex Life" rigorously examines how the colonial period, specifically between the 1840s and 1940s, witnessed the emergence of a "science of sexuality" that became fundamental to understanding Indian social progress. This groundbreaking work reveals how both the colonial state and an influential group of Bengali male intellectuals utilized the regulation of female sexuality and behavior, particularly the figure of the prostitute, to define modern Indian society and citizenship. Mitra argues that these scientific claims, often couched in paternalistic and violent terms, were instrumental in reorganizing society around upper-caste Hindu ideals of strict monogamy. The book ultimately traces the enduring power of these historically constructed sexual norms and their profound impact on postcolonial India's understanding of social good and women's autonomy today.

“"The new science of sexuality became foundational to the scientific study of Indian social progress between the 1840s and the 1940s."”

Key themes

Science and Colonialism
This theme explores how scientific discourse, including emerging fields like philology, medicine, and sociology, was not neutral but deeply intertwined with colonial power structures. Mitra argues that the 'science of sexuality' was a product of this colonial context, used to legitimize control and define 'progress' in ways that served both colonial and elite Indian interests.
Gender and Sexuality
Central to the book, this theme focuses on the construction and regulation of female sexuality and behavior during the colonial period. Mitra reveals how women's bodies and desires, particularly those of prostitutes, became a primary site for anxieties about social order, national identity, and moral progress. The book demonstrates how the 'science of sexuality' was overwhelmingly directed at controlling and defining women.
Social Progress and Regulation
This theme examines how the concept of 'social progress' in colonial India was inextricably linked to, and often defined by, the regulation of sexuality. Mitra shows how both colonial authorities and Indian intellectuals believed that controlling sexual norms was essential for achieving a 'modern' and 'civilized' society, leading to far-reaching projects of social engineering.

Worth discussing

How did the "science of sexuality" emerge as a tool for understanding and shaping social progress in colonial India, according to Mitra?

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