Homosociality

In sociology, homosociality means same-sex relationships that are not of a romantic or sexual nature, such as friendship, mentorship, or others. Researchers who use the concept mainly do so to explain how men uphold men's dominance in society.^[1]

Homosocial was popularized by Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick in her discussion of male homosocial desire.^[2] Sedgwick used the term to distinguish from homosexual and to connote a form of male bonding often accompanied by fear or hatred of homosexuality.^[3] Jean Lipman-Blumen had earlier (1976) defined homosociality as a preference for members of one's own sex – a social rather than a sexual preference.^[4]

The opposite of homosocial is heterosocial, describing non-sexual relations with the opposite sex.

^ Hammarén, Nils; Johansson, Thomas (1 January 2014). "Homosociality: In Between Power and Intimacy". SAGE Open. 4 (1): 2158244013518057. doi:10.1177/2158244013518057. ISSN 2158-2440. In the literature, this concept is mainly used as a tool to understand and dissect male friendships and men's collective attempts to uphold and maintain power and hegemony....The overall picture from the research, however, promotes the notion that homosociality clearly is a part and extension of hegemony, thus serving to always reconstruct and safeguard male interests and power.
^ J. Childers/G. Hentzi eds., The Columbia Dictionary of Modern Literary and Cultural Criticism (New York 1995) p. 138
^ Yaeger, Patricia S. (December 1985). "Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, Between Men: English Literature and Male Homosocial Desire" (PDF). MLN. 100 (5): 1139–1144. doi:10.2307/2905456. JSTOR 2905456.
^ Merl Storr, Latex and Lingerie (2003) p. 39-40

[hammaren-1] Hammarén, Nils; Johansson, Thomas (1 January 2014). "Homosociality: In Between Power and Intimacy". SAGE Open. 4 (1): 2158244013518057. doi:10.1177/2158244013518057. ISSN 2158-2440. In the literature, this concept is mainly used as a tool to understand and dissect male friendships and men's collective attempts to uphold and maintain power and hegemony....The overall picture from the research, however, promotes the notion that homosociality clearly is a part and extension of hegemony, thus serving to always reconstruct and safeguard male interests and power.

[2] J. Childers/G. Hentzi eds., The Columbia Dictionary of Modern Literary and Cultural Criticism (New York 1995) p. 138

[3] Yaeger, Patricia S. (December 1985). "Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, Between Men: English Literature and Male Homosocial Desire" (PDF). MLN. 100 (5): 1139–1144. doi:10.2307/2905456. JSTOR 2905456.

[4] Merl Storr, Latex and Lingerie (2003) p. 39-40

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