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443 Epilogue What’s Next for the Study and Application of Black Sexualities? This volume has presented new research models, findings, and ideas as a means to forward the discourse and inquiry surrounding Black sexualities. Many questions have been posed and answered; many more will emerge. One objective of this endeavor has been to provide readers with access to research that centers the Black experience and specifically sheds light on understudied or ignored sexual minorities within the Black community. In addition to traditional academic studies, the intentional inclusion of varied methodologies, research approaches, and lenses further broadened the analyses. The authors strove to push the boundaries of critical thinking by questioning many of the existing academic perspectives and societal stances that have influenced how Blacks are viewed and how they view themselves—and they did so while considering both structural forces and individual agency for more comprehensive research. The phrase “doing gender” is increasingly common among circles where researchers study issues such as sexuality, families, and relationships. It refers to intentionally centering the experiences, concerns, and desires of women in inquiry in order to illuminate their unique situations and those of other similarly marginalized groups. Results from this volume suggest the need to now consider how academics and nonacademics alike are, as coined by Sandra Barnes, “doing sexualities.” Such a conversation would continue the tradition suggested by the authors of this project and facilitate myriad exciting and important academic and applied research endeavors. Rigorously reflecting upon how society, in general, and people of color, in particular, are doing sexualities acknowledges the vast array of sexual realities and expressions that exist and the need to pursue inquiries that can appropriately capture them—meaning more rigorous research from various frames of reference. Although small qualitative studies will be crucial to pinpoint nuances that would potentially go undetected during large-scale studies, researchers should consider the benefits of garnering large grants to perform national 444 EPILOGUE studies on the types of subjects about sexualities considered in this volume. Interested scholars must also be cautious and self-reflective about the direct or indirect usage of deficit models or ethnocentric perspectives. Such frameworks are commonly taught, even in the most rigorous graduate programs, or may more subtly emerge as we empirically examine social problems that disproportionately impact people of color and other marginalized groups. Overall, future inquiries should reflect the general understanding that comparative racial studies and inquiries about heterosexual experiences are important . Historical experiences as well as past research suggest that it is beneficial to determine whether and how minority groups fare as compared to those that are considered normative. However, these types of studies should not preclude academic work that focuses solely on groups such as LGBT people, sex workers , and others on the research margins. Scholars are also challenged to more concertedly examine the weak correlation between attitudes and behavior. We believe that some of the best work will be interdisciplinary, multimethodological , both academic and applied, and culturally sensitive. Research about sexualities has implications beyond the classroom and academic journals. The very lives of persons can be affected. To this end, doing sexualities will require academics committed to bridging town-verses-gown dynamics. This means publishing reader-friendly publications easily available to a wide readership—regardless of academic accolades for the authors’ efforts. Such publications are crucial because those who study sexualities are, in many instances, “experts” whose knowledge and research insights can significantly inform mainstream society’s understanding about Black sexualities. Inquiry on subjects such as intimacy, love, healthy relationships, serial monogamy, and emotional violence, as well as related topics that influence sexualities, such as healthcare, childcare, fictive kin roles, racism, poverty, parenting skills, sexual tourism, drug usage, transnationalism, and incarceration inequities, will all inform this agenda. Doing sexualities means doing research that matters professionally and personally. It means moving outside the bounds of expected academic inquiry and thinking to chart new territory and consider unexplored issues. It will require a concerted effort from people inside and outside academia who wish to be part of transformative research, social and public policy development , and everyday forms of resistance, both individually and collectively. ...

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