ABSTRACT
An anthropological perspective, including evolutionary, holistic, crosscultural/comparative, and relativistic approaches, has been used in this exploration of human sexuality. We have framed this as a biological, psychological, and cultural approach, stressing the interdisciplinary nexus of anthropology and sexology as well as the multidimensional aspects of human sexual expression. This approach accents the importance of the individual in society by emphasizing her/his relationship to the broader cultural context, yet recognizes the importance of social systems and cultural meanings in shaping human sexual experience. We have recognized that a broad lens includes an examination of human sexuality through space and time as a human phenomenon. This evolutionary perspective provides a framework for understanding bio-behavioral aspects of sexuality as it has developed and changed through time and adapted to particular environments. It also allows us to explore continuities in our sexuality through our evolution as primates. Holism allows for examining sexuality in the context of group behavior and institutions. It relates various aspects of sexuality
such as marriage forms to other dimensions of society such as the economic and political spheres. Rather than viewed as separate from society, sexual attitudes and behaviors are discussed as integrated into the fabric of the culture.
