Abstract
Reviewed by: Cron Cronshaw, Lancaster University, UK
US-based psychologist John Money was arguably one of the most influential and contentious figures within the field of twentieth-century sexology. The title, Fuckology, duplicitously references Money’s self-invented lexeme (created to describe his sexological research) and nods towards Downing, Morland and Sullivan’s intention to fuck with (as in queer or subvert) his sexology and associated claims of scientificity. The humour of this reappropriated term is compounded when one takes seriously the authors’ suggestion that Money’s love of neologisms stemmed, in part, from a desire to reduce the scope for misinterpretation and inconsistent reception. The double meaning of Fuckology mirrors the dichotomous portrayals of Money that precede this publication. In earlier writing, Money’s work and personal life have been synthesised to create a coherent picture of a person whose project conjures either adulation or condemnation, as subtleties are glossed over. This is the departure point for the authors as they look carefully at the contradictions and cleavages within Money’s work to create an impressively rich exploration that doesn’t shy away from tension.
Each of the three authors writes about one of Money’s key diagnostic concepts; Downing on ‘hermaphroditism’, Morland on ‘paraphilia’ and Sullivan on ‘transsexualism’. Gear changes between the differently authored chapters can, at times, feel uncomfortable, but perhaps the shifts speak to the changing relationship Money appears to have had with his work, sometimes alternating between extreme positions without acknowledging a revision of opinion. Thus, friction and dissonance are skilfully employed throughout in a variety of ways, from the title to the separately authored sections. This nicely frames the overall aim of the book, which is to problematise the conception of Money’s output as a linear series of advancements, progressively tightening its grip on an objective reality. Instead, Fuckology eruditely invites the reader to revel in the intricate intertwinements of juxtaposition and overlap which have enabled diagnosis under the headings of ‘transsexual’, ‘hermaphrodite’ and ‘paraphile’ – and which, in places, continue to inform contemporary medical thought and practice, plus all of the associated counter-discourses.
The first section of the book, Mapping, is devoted to historicising Money’s concepts, which allows the reader to appreciate the relationship of Money’s work to the wider fields of sexology and psychology. Money was a fan of maps – lovemaps, foodmaps, maps of language acquisition, maps of gender development – and so, Fuckology is woven together by a cartographic theme. Money’s maps, the authors suggest, were intended to be illuminating and advisory. Money framed himself as a venturesome voyager, charting new territory and offering a grand, impartial overview; a position adeptly troubled in the abutting segment, Vandalizing, which is dedicated to creating a conversation between Money’s concepts and a varied range of pertinent discourses. Here, the authors’ specialisms and depth of knowledge really shine through as they make groundbreaking and novel engagements with Money’s oeuvre; for example, Morland analytically appraises Money’s use of cybernetic theory in relation to his ideas about sex and gender, whilst Sullivan attentively draws on phenomenology to imagine an alternative conception of the self and to propose ‘how the potentialities of Money’s work might be articulated otherwise’ (p. 12).
Fuckology culminates in Off the Map, a pleasing collaborative effort highlighting and exploring points of association between the previous chapters, mainly through a focus on Money’s passion for nomenclature and the act of map-making. Downing, Morland and Sullivan do not attempt to improve Money’s maps (as this would suggest their goal is to better represent ‘the truth’, which is not the case); rather, the trio seek to unravel the making of the maps, to complicate them and grapple with their ‘inherent instability’ (p. 188).
This innovative book is a pleasure to read and is likely to appeal to anyone with an interest in gender, sex and medicine – and far beyond, as the text’s exciting interdisciplinarity creates a substantial vista, referencing a diverse mix of influence, such as Feminist Phenomenology, Science and Technology Studies and Body Modification Studies. The richness of detail and attention to nuance makes it clear that this is a thoroughly researched book. It is a work suitable for those with no previous knowledge of Money as much as for those familiar with his work; both will find it useful, as it is clear and unique in its approach. Furthermore, Fuckology is well structured and each chapter concludes with a notes section, which makes easy reading of the extensive endnotes. In short, a fucking great book, which does a marvellous job of fucking with Money’s fucked-up Fuckology.