Sade, “sexual perversion” and us: another history of sexuality from the end of the Enlightenment to the 21st century

Abstract

Abstract

This essay explores the functions and the importance of Donatien Alphonse François de Sade in the discourses of medical, psychological and human sciences about sexuality. We thus retrace the history of “the sadian legend” from the collective imaginary in the last decades of the 18th century to the full integration of Sade in the sexological knowledge during the first decades of the 20th century and its legacies. We assume the representation and the work of Sade were essential for the emergence of sexual psychology. It leads to reconsider the historiography of sexual sciences, and therefore the modern history of sexuality.

Keywords: Sade, Sexuality, Sexual perversion, Psychiatry, Sexology, Cultural History, History of Science.

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Bibliography: Mazaleigue-Labaste, Julie: Sade, “sexual perversion” and us: another history of sexuality from the end of the Enlightenment to the 21st century, INSEP, Vol. 4, Issue 1-2016, pp. 27-37.
https://doi.org/10.3224/insep.v2i1.25763