Sexuality, according to Anthony Giddens, quoting from Foucault, defines sexuality as a social construction that operates in the areas of power. It is not just a set of biological drive that finding or not finding its release. According to Weeks, most of the words, images, rituals and fantasies concerning the body: the way people think about sex models and human way to live with it. Sexuality itself, an expression which first appeared in the 19th century. The word appeared in the technical terms of biology and zoology at the beginning of 1800. However, just at the end of the 19th century the word began to be used outside in the open meaning. Furthermore, the term sexuality in general has a broad meaning, including erotic desires, practical and eroticism identity. Ultimately, sexuality is a social phenomenon that is strongly influenced by the gender factor. In essence, social differences and hierarchical relationships between men and women greatly affect the lives of human sexuality.
Globalization refers principally to the rapid developments in communications technology, transportation and information that makes the world increasingly shrinking. One of the most remote areas even be easy to achieve. Communications and information technology is very crucial, so determine and become an actor or agent of cultural globalization that spawn a global culture as a product. Communications and information technology revolution has further expanded the role of the media even to explore areas which previously taboo for discussion, namely sexuality.
In this era of globalization, there are at least discourse of sexuality that can be grouped into three terms. First, the discourse of sexual liberation that criticize conventional morality by displaying a variety of plastic sexuality with political choices of alternative life of the global cosmopolitan, which is more concerned with the substance or the basic principles of universal and democratic spirit of intimacy, among others, with the commitment, sexual equality, and mutual agreements and social freedom. Most local actors adapt to these values and become part of the cosmopolitan global identity. There is a cosmopolitan tolerance in which individuals are more open and far more tolerant of a variety of lifestyle and ideas that accompany it.
Second, the discourse that is resistant to what is brought by the values of global cosmopolitan. It is presented by pro-polygamy and other discourse emanating from Islamic fundamentalist groups and traditional moralists who seek to find solutions to social problems by reproducing centered sexuality ideas. Cultural globalization with messages of freedom that is penetrated and mastered life cosmopolitan society deemed to have threatened the existence of traditions and religious values that has long maintained conventionally.
Third, discourses of women's liberation waged by a group of feminist activists in order to respond to the last discourses of sexuality, especially polygamy. Here they tend to be adaptive to the process of globalization, cultural globalization, especially concerning the ideas of freedom and enhance the benefits for women on the basis of equality and human rights.
Globalization in practice does not only occur at the level of macro-economic and political region, but especially the implications in the cultural region to the most micro level, namely: the life of an individual's sexuality. The process of cultural globalization - in its turn - generates the global culture where individuals almost all over the world feel a part of a new culture in the share as belonging to citizens of the world. This is made possible through the development of communication technology that is able to transcend the boundaries of a country and establish a global community in an arena together, like a global village.
In this context, the role of mass media is very important. As a global actor, it produces and transmits messages to the global local areas as part of the process of globalization, which then responded in various ways by local actors. There are at least three forms of response, namely adaptive, selective and resistant that everything can't be separated from the process of globalization.
The response of local actors on the global discourse of sexuality basically shows the relation of structure and agency in the process of restructuring the current sexuality. Moreover, it confirms the feminist thesis that sexuality is the result of social construction which actively constructed by individuals through their ways in formulating their sexuality.
In the research findings about global discourse of sexuality, reflecting the cultural globalization process underway. How the cosmopolitan in large cities such as Los Angeles or Paris interpret politics of everyday life, especially in the region intimately, that its connection with institution of marriage and family life, reflected through their responses to various discourse in this era of globalization.
However, after contraception is found and used, then it becomes a driving factor in total separation between sexuality and reproduction. This became the basis of sexual revolution that has tremendous implications for change in the region of sexuality which then impact on the institution of marriage and family. Then came a term called by Giddens as "plastic sexuality", it's a kind of uncentralized sexuality, which is free of reproductive needs. This phenomenon is something crucial for emancipation.
The family is the smallest unit of organization in society, where men as husbands become the leader of the family and have a duty to make a living, women as wives become a housewife who set up and serve all the needs of family members and children as a family member who served to help both parents and obedient to all commands and their counsel. Besides, as the younger generation, the children also have an obligation to learn and go to school in order to improve the living standards of families and nations in the future.
From topics that characterizes this discourse, is seen a shift in outlook and social practices, associated with sexuality, especially emerging among cosmopolitan. Perception of freedom, infidelity, celibacy, and the choice of sexual orientation is no longer characterized by normative assumptions which is socialized during the time in the community.
Choice to live it up with celibacy, undergo this life as a lesbian or gay or bisexual or even doing life together on the basis of rational considerations with full awareness of the consequences and cornerstone of a set of new values which is built together, such as the principle of agreement, communication and commitment to equal and beneficial to both parties have replaced conventional values as the basis of a relationship, especially marriage.
All discourse is showing individuals become increasingly reflexive, ie relying on the decisions on themselves critically and knowledgeable, and willing to take risks to freely choose sexual forms essentially getting loose from the grip of tradition. They no longer see the phenomenon in black and white or good-bad by the standards of conventional morality, they are even more tolerant to address these issues and come to give a new meaning to it.
In the discourse on living together, the messages contained in it is that living together is not something taboo and can be done by agreement of the parties, as long as no harm to each other. Here, the considerations are required which rely on common sense and rational thinking about the pros and cons, considering there are obstacles and barriers to its practice.
Risks that arise in the era of globalization is not only dealing with the phenomena of nature but also about social phenomena. Social lives of those in the area of sex, sexuality and family is inevitably more open to risk. When a cosmopolitan woman is choosing to live together, searching for a better life free, live single or living with a different sexual orientation as well as bisexual or lesbian, basically she has chosen a life full of risks and of course free from the grip of tradition. For example, women who have to deal with the construction of sexuality -- especially confronted with the expectations of their closest people, such as their families -- are required to carry out their feminine roles in accordance with the values and norms that have become conventional and tradition, such as being wives and mothers.
Nevertheless they remain convinced that there's nothing "wrong" on themselves, and being "different" is an option.
They obviously no longer rely on the conventional rules, but they are very critical of it. Their basic considerations and courage to plunge into the world full of risks is the openness and cosmopolitan spirit of tolerance, respect for plurarisme, as well as the values of equality and justice.
Thus, in the end, the idea of romantic love and more equitable and equivalent relationship as the basis of a marriage have replaced the idea of marriage as an economic contract and old values regarding gender.
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