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The East, the West, and Sex: A History
In this wide-ranging history, Richard Bernstein explores the connection between sex and power as it has played out between Eastern cultures and the Western explorers, merchants, and conquerors who have visited them. This illuminating book describes the historical and ongoing encounter between these travelers and the morally ambiguous opportunities they found in foreign lands. Bernstein’s narrative teems with real figures, from Marco Polo and his investigation into the harem of Kublai Khan; the nineteenth-century American missionary Isabella Thoburn and her efforts to stamp out the “sinfulness” of the Mughal culture of India; Gustave Flaubert and his dalliances with Egyptian prostitutes; to modern-day sex tourists in Southeast Asia, as well as the women that they both exploit and enrich. Provocative and insightful, The East, The West, and Sex is a lucid look at a pervasive and yet mostly ignored subject.
336 pages, Paperback
First published June 2, 2009
35 people are currently reading
411 people want to read
About the author
Richard Bernstein
45 books30 followersRichard Paul Bernstein was an American journalist, columnist, and author. He wrote the Letter from America column for the International Herald Tribune. He was a book critic at The New York Times and a foreign correspondent for both Time magazine and The New York Times in Europe and Asia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
November 3, 2016
When I saw this book in the library, I borrowed it because I was worried it was going to confirm my own worst fears. Unfortunately, reading the first 37 pages is enough to make me want to cry--cry, because once again someone is trying to justify racism, sexism, colonialism, and a very virulent type of Orientalism with an academic subject (in this case, history), because again a white male whose boundless privilege gives him the ability to travel halfway around the world to exercise his entitlement and sexually exploit Third World women of color and come away from it justifying that *both parties* exploited each other! Oh yes, because the woman who was sold into prostitution has so much agency to travel around the world for HER pleasure! (!!!!!)
If you want an exercise in vomiting, I suggest you pick up this book. If you want an idea of how nauseating it is:
**The name of the second chapter is "The Whole World as the White Man's Brothel".
**Quote--"It is the main thesis of this book that for centuries the East, broadly defined to include most of the world's territory from North and East Africa to South, Southeast, and East Asia, represented a domain of special erotic fascination and fulfillment for Western men." (p. 29)
**Quote--"I am speaking here of an almost exclusively male Western phenomenon for the simple reason that it was mostly Western men who went East, and the sexual culture they found there was created by men for the pleasure of men." (30)
**Quote--"When Western men went to Asia, they became the masters in the boardroom, as it were, and in the bedroom. From the stanfpoint of the currently fashionable political morality, that appears very bad, an illustration of the unfairness of colonialist rule, a tremendous advantage for the male over the female, a manifestation of female inequality and male domination. But let's not be judgmental about this, or at least not yet." (42)
**Quote--"If you are a man whose taste in women runs to the slim and delicate, you couldn't do much better than Yangsook" (p. 53)
**Quote--"During all those centuries, sex defined a not-so-hidden broader aspect of the shared history of West and East. It reflected Western material superiority. It was made possible by Western conquest, which was translated into personal power and advantage. But there was an Eastern element as well, and that was a decidedly non-Victorian sexual culture that was receptive to Western desire" (p. 37)
**Quote, this time from a forum on Feministe where he defends his own book--"Western men could do many things in the East that they would have had trouble doing at home—get rich quick, lord it over the natives, wear indigenous robes and smoke indigenous dope– and enjoy the benefits of what I call the “culture of the harem” by having harems of their own."
He might as well be saying, "Yes, I am White Man, I have a large penis but it is not very often utilized in the Western Christian world, so boo hoo! but ha, it is larger than every other man's in the Mystic "East", so I must venture there, to the land of Other, where every "exotic" lady in the world will do me because they know they will benefit from my large wallet!"
I could go on, and I'm going to! I am going to expose the morass that is this book, and the antiquated, racist, but unfortunately thriving Western privileged patriarchy he wants to defend!
If you want an exercise in vomiting, I suggest you pick up this book. If you want an idea of how nauseating it is:
**The name of the second chapter is "The Whole World as the White Man's Brothel".
**Quote--"It is the main thesis of this book that for centuries the East, broadly defined to include most of the world's territory from North and East Africa to South, Southeast, and East Asia, represented a domain of special erotic fascination and fulfillment for Western men." (p. 29)
**Quote--"I am speaking here of an almost exclusively male Western phenomenon for the simple reason that it was mostly Western men who went East, and the sexual culture they found there was created by men for the pleasure of men." (30)
**Quote--"When Western men went to Asia, they became the masters in the boardroom, as it were, and in the bedroom. From the stanfpoint of the currently fashionable political morality, that appears very bad, an illustration of the unfairness of colonialist rule, a tremendous advantage for the male over the female, a manifestation of female inequality and male domination. But let's not be judgmental about this, or at least not yet." (42)
**Quote--"If you are a man whose taste in women runs to the slim and delicate, you couldn't do much better than Yangsook" (p. 53)
**Quote--"During all those centuries, sex defined a not-so-hidden broader aspect of the shared history of West and East. It reflected Western material superiority. It was made possible by Western conquest, which was translated into personal power and advantage. But there was an Eastern element as well, and that was a decidedly non-Victorian sexual culture that was receptive to Western desire" (p. 37)
**Quote, this time from a forum on Feministe where he defends his own book--"Western men could do many things in the East that they would have had trouble doing at home—get rich quick, lord it over the natives, wear indigenous robes and smoke indigenous dope– and enjoy the benefits of what I call the “culture of the harem” by having harems of their own."
He might as well be saying, "Yes, I am White Man, I have a large penis but it is not very often utilized in the Western Christian world, so boo hoo! but ha, it is larger than every other man's in the Mystic "East", so I must venture there, to the land of Other, where every "exotic" lady in the world will do me because they know they will benefit from my large wallet!"
I could go on, and I'm going to! I am going to expose the morass that is this book, and the antiquated, racist, but unfortunately thriving Western privileged patriarchy he wants to defend!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 2, 2016
Can't believe it took me so long to post this review. Here goes:
I impulsively bought a copy of Richard Bernstein’s The East, The West and Sex at Elliot Bay recently, finished it in a state of moderate dissatisfaction, and started in on my next impulse purchase, Jack Weatherford’s Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. I’m almost finished reading about the Mongols and it’s helped me figure out how to express my low opinion of TETWS.
I should say why I bought the book in the first place. There’s a lovely ukiyo-e painting on the cover, and I made the assumption that the book would be about the differences in private sexual behavior between the two worlds, a subtle, poetic analysis of the more spiritual conception of sex in the East, etc… and boy, was I wrong. I might have read the back cover more carefully, to note that the author also wrote The Coming Conflict with China, or glance at a few chapter titles, such as “The Whole World as the White Man’s Brothel”, “The Fantasy Comes True” or “I Souvenir. You Boom-Boom”, but I’m not a very perspicacious book-buyer. I wasn’t that day, anyway.
So, after the first chapter or two I realized that I was reading a history of the West’s sexual conquest of the East, and after a few more chapters I realized that I was reading an *apology for* and *prurient celebration of* that sexual conquest. And by the time I finished the last chapter, I’d learned that Mr. Bernstein is a 55-year-old white guy with a Chinese wife who enjoys hanging out in Thai bars run by American ex-pat pimps and feels that “moral deliberations can’t take place on an abstract or absolutist level”. So, although my list of frustrations with the book is long, I’ll limit myself to two arguments: Bernstein’s discussion of Orientalism and his brief discussion of the Mongols.
The book sets up straw men with some regularity, and Edward Said’s Orientalism makes several appearances in that role. And for good reason: Said’s argument — that observers from the West quickly dehumanized and objectified “the East”, seeing them not as unique peoples but as an undifferentiated and phantasmal Other — is a rather salient perspective to consider in a book brimming with honeyed anecdotes about Western imperialists screwing any conquered body they could get their hands on. But instead of engaging that question, Bernstein feels that Said is “ambiguous” on whether sex in the East actually offered licentious opportunities for Western men that weren’t available back home, and that by “hiding” from this reality Said’s argument somehow loses its force. Never mind that “in eloquent, erudite, sophisticated paragraphs, Said laid out the view that this scholarship was based not on verifiable facts about the East but on fantasies, clichés, and stereotypes embedded in the Western mind”, because by failing to acknowledge the existence of harems, admit that Western imperialists could purchase the services of any native girl, and luridly recall stories of visiting bishops who were offered sexual favors as diplomatic courtesy, etc., “politically correct” Orientalism falls to pieces on the rocks of “the world as it was and is”.
Bernstein finds many ways to reassure the reader that “the East” doesn’t make the same judgments as we do about prostitution and the subjugation of women, and that one mustn’t get too hung up on Western, Christian notions of sex as sin or sex as categorically not-to-be-purchased. “They’re just different”, is the theme — “we” are just naturally curious, explorers by nature, and “they” are more likely to sit at home and, well, be conquered. Several times in the book he asks the reader to imagine how mirthful and surprising it would be for Chinese or Vietnamese explorers to appear in 17th century France, sending long, detailed letters home about the sexual practices of the French and sexual opportunities available to visiting foreigners. “They” just aren’t like that, and “we” are, and gee that sure is nice for us white guys, isn’t it! The book often reads like a slightly boozy high-five.
But there’s at least one terrific counter-example to the pattern of Western men going on a sexual rampage through the East: the Mongols. During the 13th century the Genghis Khan and his descendents found much of the world, including Europe, to be easily conquerable, and amenable to whatever requirements the new leadership demanded. This included sexual slavery, forced marriage and other titillating arrangements, but the Mongols dominated everyone, regardless of whether they were “East” or “West”. This doesn’t fit a neat pattern of East dominating West or West dominating East, it was simply “might makes right”, and the Mongolian men acted like conquering males have throughout history.
Bernstein mentions the Mongols, but through the eyes of an intrepid Westerner who visited them in Mongolia in the hope of converting them to Christianity. He doesn’t mention their sexual conquest of the West or their curiosity about and mastery of new martial, economic, political and scientific technology. Dwelling on the intelligent, curious, rapacious Easterner harshes the mellow of the late-middle aged white guy this book was written for, so Bernstein thoughtfully elides any unnecessary details, leaving us instead with thoughts about the “perhaps immoral but mostly alluring sensuality” of the Khan’s harem.
The sense of entitlement and privilege grows steadily throughout the book, with reality creeping in only here and there with mention of the appalling subjugation of women that all such delights are built upon, or with sober acknowledgment that most Western sexual tourists would be horrified if their daughters were engaged in similar transactions. But never mind, for Bernstein’s opiatic susurrations envelope the reader and shoo away such nagging morning-after thoughts. The book’s perfunctory expressions of regret are pale and wobbly, quickly knocked aside by vivid passages about sweet-breathed nut-brown soft-shouldered beauties who “gladly and even charmingly offer themselves up to Western visitors”.
I believe prostitution should be legal, and that women should have the freedom — among many other freedoms — to choose the profession, but the grinning, racist, triumphalist tone of this book is an affront to anyone who hopes that women will someday have the power and resources to set the terms of their relationships with men as equals, not as objects.
I impulsively bought a copy of Richard Bernstein’s The East, The West and Sex at Elliot Bay recently, finished it in a state of moderate dissatisfaction, and started in on my next impulse purchase, Jack Weatherford’s Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. I’m almost finished reading about the Mongols and it’s helped me figure out how to express my low opinion of TETWS.
I should say why I bought the book in the first place. There’s a lovely ukiyo-e painting on the cover, and I made the assumption that the book would be about the differences in private sexual behavior between the two worlds, a subtle, poetic analysis of the more spiritual conception of sex in the East, etc… and boy, was I wrong. I might have read the back cover more carefully, to note that the author also wrote The Coming Conflict with China, or glance at a few chapter titles, such as “The Whole World as the White Man’s Brothel”, “The Fantasy Comes True” or “I Souvenir. You Boom-Boom”, but I’m not a very perspicacious book-buyer. I wasn’t that day, anyway.
So, after the first chapter or two I realized that I was reading a history of the West’s sexual conquest of the East, and after a few more chapters I realized that I was reading an *apology for* and *prurient celebration of* that sexual conquest. And by the time I finished the last chapter, I’d learned that Mr. Bernstein is a 55-year-old white guy with a Chinese wife who enjoys hanging out in Thai bars run by American ex-pat pimps and feels that “moral deliberations can’t take place on an abstract or absolutist level”. So, although my list of frustrations with the book is long, I’ll limit myself to two arguments: Bernstein’s discussion of Orientalism and his brief discussion of the Mongols.
The book sets up straw men with some regularity, and Edward Said’s Orientalism makes several appearances in that role. And for good reason: Said’s argument — that observers from the West quickly dehumanized and objectified “the East”, seeing them not as unique peoples but as an undifferentiated and phantasmal Other — is a rather salient perspective to consider in a book brimming with honeyed anecdotes about Western imperialists screwing any conquered body they could get their hands on. But instead of engaging that question, Bernstein feels that Said is “ambiguous” on whether sex in the East actually offered licentious opportunities for Western men that weren’t available back home, and that by “hiding” from this reality Said’s argument somehow loses its force. Never mind that “in eloquent, erudite, sophisticated paragraphs, Said laid out the view that this scholarship was based not on verifiable facts about the East but on fantasies, clichés, and stereotypes embedded in the Western mind”, because by failing to acknowledge the existence of harems, admit that Western imperialists could purchase the services of any native girl, and luridly recall stories of visiting bishops who were offered sexual favors as diplomatic courtesy, etc., “politically correct” Orientalism falls to pieces on the rocks of “the world as it was and is”.
Bernstein finds many ways to reassure the reader that “the East” doesn’t make the same judgments as we do about prostitution and the subjugation of women, and that one mustn’t get too hung up on Western, Christian notions of sex as sin or sex as categorically not-to-be-purchased. “They’re just different”, is the theme — “we” are just naturally curious, explorers by nature, and “they” are more likely to sit at home and, well, be conquered. Several times in the book he asks the reader to imagine how mirthful and surprising it would be for Chinese or Vietnamese explorers to appear in 17th century France, sending long, detailed letters home about the sexual practices of the French and sexual opportunities available to visiting foreigners. “They” just aren’t like that, and “we” are, and gee that sure is nice for us white guys, isn’t it! The book often reads like a slightly boozy high-five.
But there’s at least one terrific counter-example to the pattern of Western men going on a sexual rampage through the East: the Mongols. During the 13th century the Genghis Khan and his descendents found much of the world, including Europe, to be easily conquerable, and amenable to whatever requirements the new leadership demanded. This included sexual slavery, forced marriage and other titillating arrangements, but the Mongols dominated everyone, regardless of whether they were “East” or “West”. This doesn’t fit a neat pattern of East dominating West or West dominating East, it was simply “might makes right”, and the Mongolian men acted like conquering males have throughout history.
Bernstein mentions the Mongols, but through the eyes of an intrepid Westerner who visited them in Mongolia in the hope of converting them to Christianity. He doesn’t mention their sexual conquest of the West or their curiosity about and mastery of new martial, economic, political and scientific technology. Dwelling on the intelligent, curious, rapacious Easterner harshes the mellow of the late-middle aged white guy this book was written for, so Bernstein thoughtfully elides any unnecessary details, leaving us instead with thoughts about the “perhaps immoral but mostly alluring sensuality” of the Khan’s harem.
The sense of entitlement and privilege grows steadily throughout the book, with reality creeping in only here and there with mention of the appalling subjugation of women that all such delights are built upon, or with sober acknowledgment that most Western sexual tourists would be horrified if their daughters were engaged in similar transactions. But never mind, for Bernstein’s opiatic susurrations envelope the reader and shoo away such nagging morning-after thoughts. The book’s perfunctory expressions of regret are pale and wobbly, quickly knocked aside by vivid passages about sweet-breathed nut-brown soft-shouldered beauties who “gladly and even charmingly offer themselves up to Western visitors”.
I believe prostitution should be legal, and that women should have the freedom — among many other freedoms — to choose the profession, but the grinning, racist, triumphalist tone of this book is an affront to anyone who hopes that women will someday have the power and resources to set the terms of their relationships with men as equals, not as objects.
August 8, 2015
Creepy justification I would have never picked up this book except the author, Richard Bernstein, got into a tiff with his former employer, 'The New York Times,' over a feature piece the NYT published on nail salons. An investigative report spanning over several months had the NYT look at the conditions and pay for nail salons in the city. It was fairly eye-opening, and showed people what it was like for recent female (I don't think they had a male employee interviewed, I don't know if nail salons really employ men since I don't go) immigrants to work in these salons.
Bernstein posted a response objecting to the piece, claiming the ad the NYT said existed didn't. There were back and forths on social media, the NYT posted a reply to Bernstein, etc. It died down. What was of particular interest to me (and pointed out by other people online) was that Bernstein did not disclose that he and his wife (who is Chinese) own two salons (not investigated by the NYT) and therefore might have a conflict of interest.
But the author noted he spoke Chinese and since he had a Chinese wife (and also worked in China), I thought this might be an interesting read. I saw the reviews but wanted to look at it anyway, because why not?
Well...yes, it's that bad. I always have trouble with books written by current/former journalists and this is no exception. I knew this was trouble when he goes on and on right from the start about a blogger who brags about having sex with various Chinese women (blogger is presumably not Chinese). Bernstein talks about some of the cultural attitudes (people got angry at the blogger and at the women for "debasing" themselves by having sex with a foreigner) and customs.
But that's it. The book reads like one long justification for some of the really creepy and racist memes, fetishes, themes, stories, etc. of Western colonialism to have sex with the women in the lands they conquered. And while a lot of this has carried into the modern day (I had heard that private English teaching schools for Japan tended to look for candidates who "looked" a certain way, ie blond hair and blue eyes), Bernstein doesn't seem to connect the dots.
As noted in other reviews, he doesn't seem to talk to any of the women. It could be argued he's just presenting the views and experiences of the men who undertook various forms of sexual experiences in Asia and he's just a reporter. But without the further context of the women (or men), it's very lopsided. This actually reminded me of Bernstein's response to the NYT: at least one commentator noted he didn't talk to any of the women and simply uses his own experiences as an owner as his guide. That is terrible journalism and it makes me side-eye his book here. I'm not saying he did exactly the same thing here for his book, but it DOES make me question his research methods and approach.
Double checking the index shows there are only 3 pages that mention rape, there is no entry for "human trafficking" (or any "trafficking") although there are mentions of child prostitution. I'm not saying the author HAD to address these topics, but again, it feels like the author had a particular view to show and unfortunately he's not able (or willing) to see the broader picture for the women (and some of the men) that suffered in the history of colonialism and conquering.
Really don't recommend it. I really only wanted to see if there were any connections, parallels, similarities in methodology to his recent article. Don't recommend it even if you're interested in the topic. I'm sure there are better works out there.
Bernstein posted a response objecting to the piece, claiming the ad the NYT said existed didn't. There were back and forths on social media, the NYT posted a reply to Bernstein, etc. It died down. What was of particular interest to me (and pointed out by other people online) was that Bernstein did not disclose that he and his wife (who is Chinese) own two salons (not investigated by the NYT) and therefore might have a conflict of interest.
But the author noted he spoke Chinese and since he had a Chinese wife (and also worked in China), I thought this might be an interesting read. I saw the reviews but wanted to look at it anyway, because why not?
Well...yes, it's that bad. I always have trouble with books written by current/former journalists and this is no exception. I knew this was trouble when he goes on and on right from the start about a blogger who brags about having sex with various Chinese women (blogger is presumably not Chinese). Bernstein talks about some of the cultural attitudes (people got angry at the blogger and at the women for "debasing" themselves by having sex with a foreigner) and customs.
But that's it. The book reads like one long justification for some of the really creepy and racist memes, fetishes, themes, stories, etc. of Western colonialism to have sex with the women in the lands they conquered. And while a lot of this has carried into the modern day (I had heard that private English teaching schools for Japan tended to look for candidates who "looked" a certain way, ie blond hair and blue eyes), Bernstein doesn't seem to connect the dots.
As noted in other reviews, he doesn't seem to talk to any of the women. It could be argued he's just presenting the views and experiences of the men who undertook various forms of sexual experiences in Asia and he's just a reporter. But without the further context of the women (or men), it's very lopsided. This actually reminded me of Bernstein's response to the NYT: at least one commentator noted he didn't talk to any of the women and simply uses his own experiences as an owner as his guide. That is terrible journalism and it makes me side-eye his book here. I'm not saying he did exactly the same thing here for his book, but it DOES make me question his research methods and approach.
Double checking the index shows there are only 3 pages that mention rape, there is no entry for "human trafficking" (or any "trafficking") although there are mentions of child prostitution. I'm not saying the author HAD to address these topics, but again, it feels like the author had a particular view to show and unfortunately he's not able (or willing) to see the broader picture for the women (and some of the men) that suffered in the history of colonialism and conquering.
Really don't recommend it. I really only wanted to see if there were any connections, parallels, similarities in methodology to his recent article. Don't recommend it even if you're interested in the topic. I'm sure there are better works out there.
September 24, 2011
How can a book about sex be so boring? The premise is that historically, Caucasians have tromped about the globe in their heavy imperialistic boots exploiting women everywhere and under every circumstance. I have no doubt this is true, and examples abound in this book, as well as in art and literature through the ages. It is an unfortunate and cruel extension of the old adage: "to the victor belong the spoils."
However, and this does not excuse anyone's bad behavior, I think it is less the result of any specific Caucasian brutality. Rather it is the natural and sorry connection between sex and power which continues today as it has throughout history. In addition, it appears to be more a matter of travel and exploration which led to the travelers subjugating the female population of various Eastern countries. To wit, the author notes that you didn't see the Indians or Asians or Africans sexually exploiting the British female population. But that's obviously because these people were not attempting to explore and colonize Britain. Bernstein points out that the French in Algeria in the 1920s made a big business of out pornographic postcards featuring native Algerian women in various states of undress, as an example of Western sexual exploitation, and yet the Algerians were not coming to France and photographing French prostitutes. Well, duh. Were there any Algerian outposts in Paris?
However, and this does not excuse anyone's bad behavior, I think it is less the result of any specific Caucasian brutality. Rather it is the natural and sorry connection between sex and power which continues today as it has throughout history. In addition, it appears to be more a matter of travel and exploration which led to the travelers subjugating the female population of various Eastern countries. To wit, the author notes that you didn't see the Indians or Asians or Africans sexually exploiting the British female population. But that's obviously because these people were not attempting to explore and colonize Britain. Bernstein points out that the French in Algeria in the 1920s made a big business of out pornographic postcards featuring native Algerian women in various states of undress, as an example of Western sexual exploitation, and yet the Algerians were not coming to France and photographing French prostitutes. Well, duh. Were there any Algerian outposts in Paris?
July 28, 2009
I would say this book "elucidates the powerful erotic hold that the East has"...for the author. Extremely irritating. Various encounters between Western men and Eastern women throughout history are recounted and summed up with, 'so, okay, maybe those women who were set aside as a separate class destined to serve male pleasure may not have had a lot of choice, but look how much fun it was for the men!'
The 2nd star is earned only because I did learn a bit of history of early European travels in the East.
The 2nd star is earned only because I did learn a bit of history of early European travels in the East.
July 14, 2023
Begynte på denne og klarer virkelig ikke fullføre den. Den er ikke dårlig skrevet, men budskapet i den er bare «not it» som man sier. Det føles konstant som om boken prøver å forsvare rasisme, sexisme og kolonialisme og forfatteren gir med sikkelig creepy vibes. Tror jeg bare legger denne pent fra meg igjen, ikke verdt å bruke tiden min på.
March 8, 2012
Part autobiography, part history, journalist Richard Bernstein writes an almost poignant account of the multiple perspectives of erotic life for men and women in the East and in the West. Not only is the history quite interesting but the transformation in the minds of men and women over time is psychologically fascinating. It could be a dry book for those uninterested in the topic, but for those interested in world history it is downright astounding what the mind is capable of. For those interested in history, the book is worth it.
August 19, 2009
I'm only about halfway through this book, and what I thought would be an investigation of the social and cultural conditions that have resulted in the white male's lust for Asian women has, while fulfilling that criteria to some degree, has turned out to be more of a justification than anything else. "Hey, bro, this is why it's like this, but it's soooo sweet, dude! Check it out, man!"
Lame.
Not enough actual investigation of the past; more of a justification.
Lame.
Not enough actual investigation of the past; more of a justification.
November 1, 2017
Too much voyeurism, too few insights.
Can be 3x shorter without anyone noticing.
Can be 3x shorter without anyone noticing.
December 25, 2022
Не могу отрицать того факта, что тема соприкосновения западной и восточной культур весьма актуальна. Не знаю, как азиатов на Запад, но вот европейцев на Восток тянет ещё со времён товарища Македонского, если не раньше.
Большинство наших современников с Европой давно знакомы, другое дело Азия. Восточные мотивы прочно укоренились в массовой культуре, а восточные женщины у западных мужчин вызывают бурный интерес. Иметь отношения, пускай даже и на одну ночь, с прекрасной представительницей дивного Востока представляется очень интересным. Но вот в чём причина такого интереса западных мужчин к восточным женщинам, почему они в глазах европейцев окутаны неким эротическим таинственным ореолом? Ответить на этот вопрос попытался автор этого труда, что, по моему скромному мнению, у него не получилось.
Уже в аннотации к этой книге издатель (или кто там это всё сочиняет?) как бы ненавязчиво оперирует такими громкими названиями как Time и New York Times и представляет нам автора – Ричарда Бернстайна – как корреспондента этих самых информационных изданий. Весьма удачный ход, ведь журналиста таких авторитетных изданий вряд ли заподозрят в неправдивости или необъективности. К тому же он много лет жил в Азии, изучал языки и культуры, в частности быт и нравы. После таких представлений читатель с радостью поглощает это пикантное околонаучноговалявшееся исследование и остаётся весьма довольным.
Но вот читатель более занудный, недоверчивый и вредный, скептически подняв одну бровь, с первой главы будет искать в этой книге какие-то действительно шокирующие и откровенные вещи, социально-культурное исследование, а в итоге получит весьма поверхностный обзор некоторых исторических событий, мемуаров писателей и путешественников-исследователей в куче с множеством стереотипов и баек.
Хотя сам Бернстайн (тут отдаю ему должное) не навязывает своего мнения и даже на протяжении почти 450 страниц нигде им не делится, но складывается впечатление, что автор глубоко убеждён в том, что Запад является образцом целомудрия и верности, а его представители (в данном контексте это мужчины) позволяют себе некоторые сексуальные вольности только на Востоке, где множество женщин без зазрения совести согласны на секс с любым первым встречным-поперечным, главное чтоб с богатым и белым. И вся книга написана так, чтобы в таком положении дел нельзя было усомниться. Например, рассказывая нам о развратных восточных правителях и их гаремах, автор в противовес им ставит европейский институт семьи, идеи которого обеспечила католическая церковь. Но ни слова о самой католической церкви, о содомии и прочих её прелестях. Ведь нельзя, а то ж как это так? Это ж Восток развратами всякими страдает.
Второе, что мне категорически не понравилось в этой книге, так это, как уже упоминалось, поверхностность исследования. Автор не делает никаких попыток понять почему сексуальная культура на Востоке была более откровенна, чем на Западе. Хотя каждый аспект сексуальной жизни он предлагает рассматривать в контексте культуры, но в самой книге нет никаких попыток покопаться в истории культур этих стран. Ведь, возможно, именно там скрыты ответы на те вопросы, которые автор задал, но ответа не нашёл. Да и вообще как-то странно в документальной прозе встречать фразы типа «по словам одного рассказчика» и тем более без указания источника информации…
Однозначный плюс этой книги в том, что автор избегает морализаторства, не навязывает нам абсолютных истин, он остаётся беспристрастным наблюдателем. В качестве заявленного нон-фикшина книга слабая, я бы даже сказала вообще никакая. Несколько занятных историй, множество баек и одни и те же мысли, которые кочевали с одной главы в другую и такое переливание из пустого в порожнее очень раздражало.
Также к плюсам можно отнести то, что в книге есть структура. Всё разложено по полочкам. Радует, что автор не смешивает всё в одну кучу, эпохи и страны делит по главам, что, несомненно, упрощает понимание этого труда. Жаль, конечно, что понимать здесь почти нечего. Но эта книга может пробудить интерес читателя к более глубокому изучению такого непростого вопроса.
Большинство наших современников с Европой давно знакомы, другое дело Азия. Восточные мотивы прочно укоренились в массовой культуре, а восточные женщины у западных мужчин вызывают бурный интерес. Иметь отношения, пускай даже и на одну ночь, с прекрасной представительницей дивного Востока представляется очень интересным. Но вот в чём причина такого интереса западных мужчин к восточным женщинам, почему они в глазах европейцев окутаны неким эротическим таинственным ореолом? Ответить на этот вопрос попытался автор этого труда, что, по моему скромному мнению, у него не получилось.
Уже в аннотации к этой книге издатель (или кто там это всё сочиняет?) как бы ненавязчиво оперирует такими громкими названиями как Time и New York Times и представляет нам автора – Ричарда Бернстайна – как корреспондента этих самых информационных изданий. Весьма удачный ход, ведь журналиста таких авторитетных изданий вряд ли заподозрят в неправдивости или необъективности. К тому же он много лет жил в Азии, изучал языки и культуры, в частности быт и нравы. После таких представлений читатель с радостью поглощает это пикантное околонаучноговалявшееся исследование и остаётся весьма довольным.
Но вот читатель более занудный, недоверчивый и вредный, скептически подняв одну бровь, с первой главы будет искать в этой книге какие-то действительно шокирующие и откровенные вещи, социально-культурное исследование, а в итоге получит весьма поверхностный обзор некоторых исторических событий, мемуаров писателей и путешественников-исследователей в куче с множеством стереотипов и баек.
Хотя сам Бернстайн (тут отдаю ему должное) не навязывает своего мнения и даже на протяжении почти 450 страниц нигде им не делится, но складывается впечатление, что автор глубоко убеждён в том, что Запад является образцом целомудрия и верности, а его представители (в данном контексте это мужчины) позволяют себе некоторые сексуальные вольности только на Востоке, где множество женщин без зазрения совести согласны на секс с любым первым встречным-поперечным, главное чтоб с богатым и белым. И вся книга написана так, чтобы в таком положении дел нельзя было усомниться. Например, рассказывая нам о развратных восточных правителях и их гаремах, автор в противовес им ставит европейский институт семьи, идеи которого обеспечила католическая церковь. Но ни слова о самой католической церкви, о содомии и прочих её прелестях. Ведь нельзя, а то ж как это так? Это ж Восток развратами всякими страдает.
Второе, что мне категорически не понравилось в этой книге, так это, как уже упоминалось, поверхностность исследования. Автор не делает никаких попыток понять почему сексуальная культура на Востоке была более откровенна, чем на Западе. Хотя каждый аспект сексуальной жизни он предлагает рассматривать в контексте культуры, но в самой книге нет никаких попыток покопаться в истории культур этих стран. Ведь, возможно, именно там скрыты ответы на те вопросы, которые автор задал, но ответа не нашёл. Да и вообще как-то странно в документальной прозе встречать фразы типа «по словам одного рассказчика» и тем более без указания источника информации…
Однозначный плюс этой книги в том, что автор избегает морализаторства, не навязывает нам абсолютных истин, он остаётся беспристрастным наблюдателем. В качестве заявленного нон-фикшина книга слабая, я бы даже сказала вообще никакая. Несколько занятных историй, множество баек и одни и те же мысли, которые кочевали с одной главы в другую и такое переливание из пустого в порожнее очень раздражало.
Также к плюсам можно отнести то, что в книге есть структура. Всё разложено по полочкам. Радует, что автор не смешивает всё в одну кучу, эпохи и страны делит по главам, что, несомненно, упрощает понимание этого труда. Жаль, конечно, что понимать здесь почти нечего. Но эта книга может пробудить интерес читателя к более глубокому изучению такого непростого вопроса.
June 29, 2024
While this book is well-written, I find it hard to agree with its central premise: that Western men's sexual conquest and exploitation of women in Asia stem from the prudish sexual attitudes in Christendom West, contrasted with the sexually liberal harem culture in Asia. The reason is simple, and the author dedicates two chapters to it – the "Eastern paradox." In the modern globalized world, where information and people flow at an unprecedented pace, it is now evident that Asia is more sexually conservative than the West. This well-known and almost universal fact defeats the book's premise.
The author argues that Asia's sexual conservatism is due to Western middle-class Victorian influence, suggesting it has made Asia more prudent. However, it's hard, if not impossible, to imagine that a sexual culture spanning thousands of years could be uprooted and completely transformed within decades. There are also many Asian countries that have not undergone English colonialism. It's more likely that the idea of Western Christian sexual prudence versus Eastern sexual liberalism is an exaggeration, selectively magnifying certain practices while ignoring the fact that the reality of both the West and East is much more nuanced and diverse, embodying both sexually prudent and liberal elements.
The book's central premise of Asia as a sexually liberal harem culture is also hard to reconcile with the reality that Asian men are seen in the West as more sexually repressed and unable to express their sexuality compared to Western men. In fact, to many Asians today, it is the Christendom West that represents sexual liberation, where prostitution can be legal, consumer culture is highly sexualized, and people engage in casual hookups.
The author argues that Asia's sexual conservatism is due to Western middle-class Victorian influence, suggesting it has made Asia more prudent. However, it's hard, if not impossible, to imagine that a sexual culture spanning thousands of years could be uprooted and completely transformed within decades. There are also many Asian countries that have not undergone English colonialism. It's more likely that the idea of Western Christian sexual prudence versus Eastern sexual liberalism is an exaggeration, selectively magnifying certain practices while ignoring the fact that the reality of both the West and East is much more nuanced and diverse, embodying both sexually prudent and liberal elements.
The book's central premise of Asia as a sexually liberal harem culture is also hard to reconcile with the reality that Asian men are seen in the West as more sexually repressed and unable to express their sexuality compared to Western men. In fact, to many Asians today, it is the Christendom West that represents sexual liberation, where prostitution can be legal, consumer culture is highly sexualized, and people engage in casual hookups.
November 19, 2017
Insightful and interesting. I guess any attempt to write these books would necessarily be construed to some extent as being constructed from an exoticist framework, because Western permeation of academia is quite total. What I am saying is that there is almost absolutely no way someone would end up being able to write a book of this caliber (lexical use, research methods) without interacting with Western heuristics and thoughts processes and therefore being influenced by those things. This necessary caveat notwithstanding, it is still quite interesting.
His arguments on harems was very interesting. What he said was that priggish Western civilizers from places like the ostensibly prudish Victorian London and other purveyors of œuvre civilisatrice seeking to civilize the Orient were in fact the ones corrupting a very elevated and polished harem culture (unfortunately sexist nonetheless). It is the West that created the notion of submissive, pliant Asian women to be dominated, and the West whose presence in Asia ruined a very cultivated harem culture. I think both cultures (pre and post colonialism) were necessarily exploitative, but I see his point. His point, being a very specific application of a very cliché but powerful kind of argumentation that a very strong appearance of one thing always alludes to the undercurrent presence of its opposite. (e.g. puritanical priests and pedophilia, quasi-feminist gentlemen who actually are the opposite etc)
His arguments on harems was very interesting. What he said was that priggish Western civilizers from places like the ostensibly prudish Victorian London and other purveyors of œuvre civilisatrice seeking to civilize the Orient were in fact the ones corrupting a very elevated and polished harem culture (unfortunately sexist nonetheless). It is the West that created the notion of submissive, pliant Asian women to be dominated, and the West whose presence in Asia ruined a very cultivated harem culture. I think both cultures (pre and post colonialism) were necessarily exploitative, but I see his point. His point, being a very specific application of a very cliché but powerful kind of argumentation that a very strong appearance of one thing always alludes to the undercurrent presence of its opposite. (e.g. puritanical priests and pedophilia, quasi-feminist gentlemen who actually are the opposite etc)
January 2, 2022
Part history, part cultural study, this book describes the different attitudes toward sex held in the "Christian" West and the East. Though the attitudes were there before the West decided to explore the East it was with the Portuguese desire to trade directly with the East that the difference was noted.
In the "Christian" West sex was sinful and was only to be used for procreation. In the East sex was for pleasure though in both regions women were exploited and the rich and powerful had their "harems". The last few chapters of this book brings one up to more modern times and the way wars of the 20th century increased the exploitation of women. Among the interesting facts is the difference in treatment of post war Japan versus post-war Germany by US authorities.
In the "Christian" West sex was sinful and was only to be used for procreation. In the East sex was for pleasure though in both regions women were exploited and the rich and powerful had their "harems". The last few chapters of this book brings one up to more modern times and the way wars of the 20th century increased the exploitation of women. Among the interesting facts is the difference in treatment of post war Japan versus post-war Germany by US authorities.
March 18, 2019
i didn't like this book at all...
April 8, 2025
Not my vibe
October 5, 2010
The East, the West, and Sex: a history of erotic encounters had great potential (with such a sexy subject) but ended up being a disappointment. Its main thesis is hardly new: the West (mainly Europe and later America) has a sexual culture based on Christian notions of sin and monogamy whereas the East (taken by the author to include North Africa, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast and East Asia) cultivated 'harem culture.' When the two intermingle, this has allowed Western men to indulge in "a domain of special erotic fascination and fulfillment," or bluntly put, boys behaving badly. Indeed, the earlier chapters do provide interesting historical examples of explorers seeking to unveil the harem and Europeans setting up little harems of their own during colonial rule.
However, when the well written prose turns to the recent past and current events—mostly how American presence has taken over and reproduced harem culture on a mass, democratized, capitalistic scale in Asia—the author's biases crack through. It is important to note that Richard Bernstein is an American journalist who worked extensively in Asia and married a Chinese woman. Although he points out the inherently sexist nature of 'harem culture' with the right politically correct murmurs, he ends up 'pragmatically' justifying it as truer to the intensity of the male sexual urge for variety and youth and economic realities when differentials of wealth exist. The last part of the book is based mainly on interviews with obvious subject selection bias. Furnishing only 10 pages of endnotes is not in keeping with rigorous academic standards. Such a shame Bernstein could only write from his Western male point of view.
However, when the well written prose turns to the recent past and current events—mostly how American presence has taken over and reproduced harem culture on a mass, democratized, capitalistic scale in Asia—the author's biases crack through. It is important to note that Richard Bernstein is an American journalist who worked extensively in Asia and married a Chinese woman. Although he points out the inherently sexist nature of 'harem culture' with the right politically correct murmurs, he ends up 'pragmatically' justifying it as truer to the intensity of the male sexual urge for variety and youth and economic realities when differentials of wealth exist. The last part of the book is based mainly on interviews with obvious subject selection bias. Furnishing only 10 pages of endnotes is not in keeping with rigorous academic standards. Such a shame Bernstein could only write from his Western male point of view.
September 15, 2013
What I liked about it: I lived in Japan for 3 years as an English teacher, and spent most of my vacation days in the rest of Asia, and from my own observation, a lot of this book still rings true. A lot of the men ended up with Japanese girlfriends, and quite a few with Japanese wives. Others preferred the smorgasbord approach, bragging about all the women in our prefecture they'd slept with, whether paid or volunteers. I won't say that no women found local boyfriends or even husbands, but the numbers were significantly lower. Things are changing, though, as I did spend a couple of weeks mostly shacked up with a Thai man who basically supplemented his income by romancing western women.
What I didn't like about it: Bernstein nearly completely neglects the perspective of the women involved in these encounters. Yes, in a rich country like Japan at the beginning of the 21st century, where the women are educated and mostly free to make their own choices, they are clearly not coerced into their relationships with western men. But that has not been true for the past 5 centuries, nor is it true everywhere today, and the vast majority of the women have been exploited, either sold by their families, or lured into relationships that can never be equal due to the income, and therefore power, imbalance. Yet even in telling his modern stories, Bernstein never interviews an eastern woman in any kind of relationship with a western man to find out her side of the story.
omnibrowbooks.blogspot.com
What I didn't like about it: Bernstein nearly completely neglects the perspective of the women involved in these encounters. Yes, in a rich country like Japan at the beginning of the 21st century, where the women are educated and mostly free to make their own choices, they are clearly not coerced into their relationships with western men. But that has not been true for the past 5 centuries, nor is it true everywhere today, and the vast majority of the women have been exploited, either sold by their families, or lured into relationships that can never be equal due to the income, and therefore power, imbalance. Yet even in telling his modern stories, Bernstein never interviews an eastern woman in any kind of relationship with a western man to find out her side of the story.
omnibrowbooks.blogspot.com
July 24, 2009
This is a fascinating look at some of the history of the East and the West's interactions, focused on the realm of sex. The history of the harem (and the West's perception of the harem), prostitution then and now, the concept of the tragic Asian pining woman, it's all in there. I wish the book had been a little more clearly structured - although always engaging, it tends to ramble from one thing to another, slightly randomly, chapter to chapter - and it does suffer from an author who is very clearly present in his exploration of the topic, which sometimes makes you doubt his objectivity. Also, it should be noted that the essay that I think falls directly in the middle (the name of which I have conveniently forgotten) is by far the best, most interesting piece; I would not be at all surprised to learn that that piece stood alone at one point, and the rest of the book was written around it.
November 13, 2010
I'm going to go against the grain here and give this book four stars. Yes, it rambles, yes, it is sometimes repetitive, and I do not agree with a lot of the authors opinions, which he tries to keep in check most of the time but are fairly evident. However, it corresponded to my expectations. I picked it up after living in Asia and feeling disgusted and intrigued with the free for all lifestyle so many men, foreign and local, lived there. Sure, there are cheating men everywhere but there was a reason so many foreign males in Singapore stated they would never leave--and that wasn't just because of the great food. This book does a great job in elucidating about centuries of history of sexual encounters between the East and West and helps understand why things are the way they are today. You don't have to agree or get to the end and feel that's it's ok. But it was enlightening. If you are interested in world history this is definitely a fairly quick read.
October 26, 2009
Richard Bernstein decides to investigate the West's interest and eroticization of the East. I liked some of the historical research that he did, and could see some of his points, but I also found that I disagreed with some of the points he made. Then again, I'm a mixed race female who has read a lot about Asia and has spent some time there. This was a decent read, but I definitely enjoyed Sheridan Prasso's "The Asian mystique" more, and found that book to be a little less sexist.
I did find that he was justifying the white, privileged Western male's vision of the East and that was part of my problem with the book. However, I did appreciate his investigation of the harem and his thesis on how Christianity, early exploration and puritanism has contributed to our eroticization of the East.
I did find that he was justifying the white, privileged Western male's vision of the East and that was part of my problem with the book. However, I did appreciate his investigation of the harem and his thesis on how Christianity, early exploration and puritanism has contributed to our eroticization of the East.
August 11, 2012
The author is evidently well-read and possessed of an intimate knowledge of his subject. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to have had enough content to fill a book. This really should've been an article, as the last 4/5 of the book contain little more than superfluous examples to prove Bernstein's (not particularly ambitious) point that the East was a sexual playground for European men during the colonial era and that the different cultural perspective of the East (and here Bernstein paints with rather broad strokes) made this exploitation less problematic for the occupied.
October 5, 2009
This book was not salacious thought the title would make one think otherwise. This was more historical thinkpiece paralleling the money and wealth and relaxed sexual mores (seemingly) in the East/India/Turkey etc as it follows the travels and events all the up to war in Vietnam and the different expectations of men and sex as it relates to the East versus West dichotomy
January 6, 2026
I think that many people misunderstand this novel, I read it more as an explanatory text exploring the mechanisms of colonization that are still present in our society, as the author argues. Sexual dominance and selection are central to the structures and systems of racism and violence that we see in our society and in neo-imperialist activities.
November 29, 2009
This book should have been an brief essay. It was boring after the first 3rd I thought, and I had a really hard time sticking with the 50% that I did read...felt like a text book which is such a shame since I was excited about the possible history within the topic.
I'm moving on...
I'm moving on...
December 1, 2009
how white man turned Asia to white man Brothel . American GI did in Vietnam"It's like a kid in a candy shop: you just walk in and you can eat anything you want". The Whole world as the white man's Brothel.
Read
September 24, 2012I am still trying to slug my way through it but it is an incredibly boring book and the author is patronizing. I would recommend 'sex at dawn' instead.
Updated: I gave up on it after the 2nd chapter.
Updated: I gave up on it after the 2nd chapter.
October 14, 2014
Disgusting book. Completely glosses over the experiences of women and how colonization and imperialism has condoned rape and torture and murder. This book has the nerve to justify exploitation, and it's infuriating.
Currently reading
June 6, 2010A fascinating look at the culture of sexual trade b/w East & West: a little bit Edward Said and a little bit Marquis de Sade.
November 12, 2010
boring :(
August 30, 2013
Interesting history... not super feminist, left many questions to be answered regarding agency of sex workers in Asia, throughout history and today.
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