{"id":72627,"date":"2017-06-21T14:15:22","date_gmt":"2017-06-21T12:15:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/?p=72627\/"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:22:48","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:22:48","slug":"op-een-gegeven-moment-merkte-ik-ik-ben-echt-heel-erg-hetero-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2017\/06\/21\/op-een-gegeven-moment-merkte-ik-ik-ben-echt-heel-erg-hetero-2\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018At a certain point I realised: I\u2019m basically very straight\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Okay, let\u2019s do a little experiment. If someone asks you to picture a loverboy<\/em>, which image do you have in your mind? And what about a single teenage mother? And what\u2019s your mental image when you read about a gang rape in a basement storage room? According to Samira van Bohemen, there\u2019s a strong likelihood of specific cultural and ethnic stereotypes popping up.<\/p>\n\t

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In the feature section\u00a0Cowboys in Science<\/a>, Geert Maarse talks with researchers who take things a bit further than most of their colleagues. Samira van Bohemen works as a cultural sociologist at the Faculty of Social Sciences, where she performs research into subcultures and human behaviour. She previously explored the world of the Red Hat Society<\/a>. For her present study, which focuses on good sex, Van Bohemen is observing and interviewing young people in nightlife.<\/p>\n\n\t<\/div>\n

In a sense, Van Bohemen actually wants to use this project to dispel such stereotypes. And not necessarily because they\u2019re unfounded \u2013 because they could well have some basis in truth. But because they put too much emphasis on problems. \u201cOf course,\u201d says Van Bohemen, \u201ca lot of things go wrong. But that\u2019s never anyone\u2019s intention. What we wanted to know was: what is young people\u2019s idea of good<\/em> sex?\u201d<\/p>\n

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You\u2019re attending all sorts of parties in connection with your research. Why?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cOur nightlife is one of the premier environments where sexuality plays a major role in a broad sense. We don\u2019t just see sex as \u2018two people doing it\u2019 \u2013 it\u2019s a wide range of activities. It\u2019s about dressing up, fantasising about what could happen, and whom you could run into. About seduction, eroticism, dancing. These elements can all be found at a party.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Van Bohemen (rechts) tijdens de Gender Bending Queer Party.<\/span><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

So are you prowling around, notebook in hand?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I would stand out too much. And you don\u2019t want that. As far as possible, I want the party to follow its own course. And I want to participate as far as possible without losing sight of the fact that I\u2019m there to observe.\u201d<\/p>\n

What sort of things do you focus on?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat people are wearing; what kind of music is playing; how people move through the room. But also: how does the party develop over time? Can you see completely different things happening by the end of the evening than at the start? Another interesting aspect is where the different activities take place. People hardly approach each other on the dance floor, while in the smoker\u2019s section you can see all sorts of attempts to make contact. In addition, part of this process is auto-ethnographic. How you relate as a researcher to other people. This already starts when you\u2019re deciding which party to go to. And how you prepare yourself. Before heading out, I have to decide what to wear: will I fit in?\u201d<\/p>\n

As in: not too slutty, but not too prissy either?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cExactly. One time, when I was going to a salsa party, I had no idea what to wear. But fortunately, they had a dress code because it was Valentine\u2019s Day. And occasionally, you hit the wrong note. One of my students \u2013 they\u2019re also handling a share of the research \u2013 wore trainers to a party, since she reckoned they were comfy for dancing. But everyone else there was all dolled up and wearing stiletto heels. And then the next party \u2013 which you expect to be similar \u2013 is precisely the other way round.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018In studies like this, it matters whether I experience a specific situation as pleasant, unpleasant, surprising or weird.\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t–<\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSamira van Bohemen\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

Why is this research auto-ethnographic? I would think you\u2019re primarily interested in the other party?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, but the researcher is emphatically a party him- or herself as well. Your perspectives count too. It\u2019s about whether you experience a specific situation as pleasant, unpleasant, surprising or weird. At which point, your personal ideas about good sex also matter. For example, one time I was at a queer party where there was a lot of experimentation going on. People were kissing with each other without being introduced first, for example. And I was also approached there, by both men and women. They would be like: why don\u2019t you come along with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

And do you oblige?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cUm, nope.\u201d<\/p>\n

Are you in a relationship?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYes. For over a year. And the fact that I don\u2019t have anything on the side says something about the scene I\u2019m in personally. About my idea of good sex.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Op de EO-jongerendag in het GelreDome, juni 2017.<\/span><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

How would you describe your idea of good sex?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI think that it\u2019s basically this kind of middle-class concept of sexuality being something you share with a single partner. Not this hedonistic approach where you say: it\u2019s about pleasure and it doesn\u2019t matter who you do it with. I\u2019m not that open-minded about it. And I noticed that I have fairly clear ideas about my own orientation. While previously, I hadn\u2019t really felt it that consciously. I remember thinking: I\u2019m basically very straight. This says something about what I do and don\u2019t enjoy, and what my actual boundaries are. These are also culturally determined.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the best party you went to so far?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThat was the salsa party. It was a week day, in the centre of Rotterdam, in a club where as a woman, you actually have quite a chance of being hassled on an average Friday night. That\u2019s quite an issue as it is, by the way. Nightlife remains an environment where you sometimes have to deal with stuff that you actually aren\u2019t in the mood for. And it\u2019s almost universal, according to my students. Other people don\u2019t see you as a researcher, but as a woman. Or in some cases, mainly a piece of ass, apparently. That really ticks me off. At an Asian Party too, I had this hand stroking my bum at a certain point. But in the case of salsa \u2013 which most people would associate with seduction, sensuality \u2013 it\u2019s not even an issue. Absolutely everyone is only interested in dancing. It\u2019s a really friendly atmosphere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018With salsa, drugs and alcohol hardly play a role \u2013 instead, dance serves as medium for people\u2019s sexual transformation.\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t–<\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSamira van Bohemen\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

Which results can we expect to come out of this study?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, I\u2019m working with the concept of technologies of the sexual self. Every scene turns to a different \u2018technology\u2019. At a techno event, 90 percent of the partygoers are on MDMA or XTC, with a few coke users thrown in. In addition, it\u2019s about a certain style of dress, dance moves and almost everyone is white \u2013 but let\u2019s stick to the drugs for the moment. This is a lot less pronounced at student parties, where they tend to drink a great deal. In addition, there\u2019s a pick-up culture: at the end of the evening, you\u2019re expected to have picked someone up to take home with you. With salsa, drugs and alcohol hardly play a role \u2013 instead, dance serves as a kind of medium. And at a Shisha Lounge, none of this is going on \u2013 instead, everyone is taking snapchat selfies all the time. All these things \u2013 dancing, MDMA, alcohol, social media \u2013 do something with your body. They help you to achieve a sexual transformation. I\u2019m presently examining whether these different technologies also lead to different ideas about sexuality. And whether this can subsequently be linked to someone\u2019s ethnic background or subculture.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Samira van Bohemen in haar outfit voor het Aziatische cosplay-feest Tsunacon.<\/span><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

Why is this important in scholarly terms?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cBecause our knowledge about what young people see as good sex is very limited. While meanwhile, the problematic aspects of this theme \u2013 STDs, teenage pregnancies, abuse \u2013 keep getting reproduced. Including in medical research that focuses on risks within different ethnic groups. But this only sheds light on a very limited part of young people\u2019s sexual experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

How diverse is the group of students you are working with?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a girl from Suriname and a Chinese guy. And one student has a Turkish girlfriend. My students have a more diverse circle of friends than I do, but they themselves are mostly white.\u201d<\/p>\n

Have you managed to include every subculture in your research?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we started on this project, we planned to visit all sorts of ethnic parties. But the thing is: they\u2019re hardly around anymore. To a certain extent, we want this study to reflect society in all its diversity. So right now, we\u2019re mainly focusing on where specific groups go to. We would really like to attend a Turkish wedding. For many Turkish-Dutch youth, a wedding like that \u2013 with 1,500 guests in a party centre \u2013 is one of the main events of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n

When most of your researchers are white \u2013 and when you send them to parties of all places \u2013 aren\u2019t the results far too one-dimensional?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYou have a point. But the ethnographic research that we conduct at parties is only one part of our project. We\u2019re also holding in-depth interviews with young people. In addition, we have six WhatsApp groups, in which we invite young people to post everything they come across in their daily lives that has to do with sex \u2013 photos, videos, stories \u2013 and then discuss it. And one of my research master students has researched which music young people think works well with sex. Some of them turn out to have compiled entire playlists, with a crescendo and everything. Like a fitness tape.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018We\u2019ve met Moroccan girls who encourage each other to remain a virgin. That\u2019s a completely different story compared to student associations.\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t–<\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSamira van Bohemen\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

I gather you don\u2019t have a playlist like that.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Smiling: \u201cNo. I wasn\u2019t aware that music plays such an important role in people\u2019s sex lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Imagine the study reveals that people\u2019s concept of good sex is more or less universal. Would that mean your project is a failure?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, the parallels are just as interesting. However, we are already noticing that there are significant differences. We\u2019ve met Moroccan girls who encourage each other to remain a virgin. That\u2019s a completely different story to student associations, where everyone is encouraged to experiment. But only to a point, because otherwise you\u2019re a slut, or desperate. While people who go to queer parties tend to find restrictive standards like that rather parochial.\u201d<\/p>\n

For your doctoral research, you immersed yourself in the world of the Red Hat Society. What do you find so fascinating about subcultures like this?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAs a social scientist, I want to know what really motivates people to do certain things. Quantitative research reduces the entire world to numbers and variables. People are left out of the picture. I want to see them again \u2013 literally. How colourful they are; how crazy; how different. And I translate my findings into my research and the articles I write.\u201d<\/p>\n

More cowboys in science<\/h2>