The Role of Hermaphrodites in Society Essay -- Sociology Essays Resear

The Role of Hermaphrodites in SocietyIn Ruth Gilberts At the Borders of the Human, she discusses familiaritys interest in hermaphrodites in terms of peoples desire to examine, scrutinize, and display objects which are alien, strange and other (6). The anomalous and flakey spectacle of the hermaphroditic body has drawn the focus of scientists since the early sixteenth century. Hermaphrodites submit long evoked a mixture of disgust and desire, and fear and captivation(Gilbert 150) that has led to their position as objects of scientific scrutiny. As defined by Random House Websters College Dictionary, a hermaphrodite is an individual in which reproductive organs of both sexes are present. Besides hermaphrodites challenging societys physical norms, they challenge and have recently changed its heathenish norms as well. In ancient societies, dual-sexed beings were either exterminated, considered to be beings of suffering, or regarded as strange phenomena (Brisson 40). Their ro les in society were nonexistent because they were viewed as threatening aberrancy from the...