AN EXPLORATION OF INTIMACY IN THE HETEROSEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN A SOUTH AFRICAN INFORMAL SETTLEMENT

ABSTRACT

The experience of ‘having sex’ often involves socially located bodies in interaction, and yet sociological work on the bodily aspects of sexuality is limited. This article illustrates that the everyday conceptualisation of sexual pleasure among young men and women is socially negotiated and embodied, often challenging and conforming to social, political and economic structures on multiple levels. This suggests that the sexual selves that young people perform are a result of the interplay between class, gender and ‘race’, which are not merely incidental to the formation of heterosexuality but are absolutely central to it. They produce and regulate the heterosexual subject. These social vectors intersect and construct multiple oppressions, impacting on heterosexuality and the heterosex identities of socially marginalised youth in an informal settlement. This article draws upon in-depth qualitative research conducted in an informal settlement in South Africa, focusing on the normative sexual experiences of ten young black women and men between the ages of 21 and 28 in heterosexual relationships. A central argument of the article suggests that young people's sexual experiences can be understood within the wider context of shifting gender relations that define masculinity and femininity in contemporary South Africa. By using intersectionality theory as a lens, the embodied sexual experiences of young black people can be better understood.

Keywords:

• heterosexuality
• intimacy
• gender
• youth
• embodiment
• sexual pleasure

Additional information

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

MEMORY MPHAPHULI is a lecturer at the University of the Free State in the Department of Sociology. Her Master's research dissertation is titled ‘Interrogating the heteronormative sexuality and gender performativity of young people in Madelakufa informal settlement’, which explores the multiple processes, positionings and power relations that constitute normative heterosexuality. Her areas of interest and research include sexualities in contemporary South Africa, gender politics, and qualitative research methods.