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The Night is Young

Sexuality in Mexico in the Time of AIDS

The Night Is Young takes us past the stereotypes of macho hombres and dark-eyed señoritas to reveal the complex nature of sexuality in modern-day Mexico. Drawing on field research conducted in Guadalajara, Mexico’s second-largest city, Héctor Carrillo shows how modernization, globalization, and other social changes have affected a wide range of hetero- and homosexual practices and identities.

Carrillo finds that young Mexicans today grapple in a variety of ways with two competing tendencies. On the one hand, many seek to challenge traditional ideas and values they find limiting. But they also want to maintain a sense of Mexico’s cultural distinctiveness, especially in relation to the United States. For example, while Mexicans are well aware of the dangers of unprotected sex, they may also prize the surrender to sexual passion, even in casual sexual encounters—an attitude which stems from the strong values placed on collective life, spontaneity, and an openness toward intimacy. Because these expectations contrast sharply with messages about individuality, planning, and overt negotiation commonly promoted in global public health efforts, Carrillo argues that they demand a new approach to AIDS prevention education in Mexico.

A Mexican native, Carrillo has written an exceptionally insightful and accessible study of the relations among sexuality, social change, and AIDS prevention in Mexico. Anyone concerned with the changing place of sexuality in a modern and increasingly globalized world will profit greatly from The Night Is Young.

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction

1 AN INITIAL GLIMPSE OF MEXICAN SEXUALITIES:
THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT

PART 1 SEXUAL IDENTITIES

2 I AM NORMAL: GENDER-BASED CATEGORIES
OF SEXUAL IDENTITY

3 NEW FREEDOMS, NEW BOUNDARIES:
BECOMING HOMOSEXUALES, BISEXUALES,
AND HETEROSEXUALES

4 AMALGAMS AND CONVOLUTIONS: SUBTLETIES
OR INTERPRETATION IN CONTEMPORARY SEXUAL
IDENTITIES

5 FROM CATEGORIES TO ACTION: NEGOTIATING
EVERYDAY LIFE


PART 2 SEXUAL SOCIALIZATION

6 LO QUE ME INCULCARON: LEARNING SEX,
MANAGING SEXUALITY

7 THE MEDIA, RELIGION, SOCIETY, AND THE STATE:
INFLUENCING PERSONAL OPINIONS ABOUT
SEXUAL MATTERS

8 THE SEXUAL MOMENT: PATHS FOR THE
ACHIEVEMENT OF PLEASURE

PART 3 AID AND HIV PREVENTION

9 RESPONDING TO AIDS: HIV PREVENTION WORK
IN MEXICO

10 RESPONDING TO THE MESSAGES: GUADALAJARANS’
USE OF HIV PREVENTION TOOLS

11 TRUST, LOVE, PASSION,: THE RELATIONAL CONTEXT
OR HIV RISK

CONCLUSION: NEW OPPORTUNITIES
IN A NEW CENTURY

Appendix 1: Descriptions of Interview Participants

Appendix 2: Methodology

Notes

Bibliography

Index

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