At the heart of Between Men is the concept of "male homosocial desire." Sedgwick defines this as a range of social bonds between persons of the same sex—from friendship and mentorship to sexual intimacy. She argues that for men, this continuum is fractured by intense , which creates a sharp, artificial divide between "platonic" male bonding and "homosexual" desire. While women’s homosocial bonds (like sisterhood) are often viewed as a continuous spectrum, men are forced to strictly police the boundary between the two. The Erotic Triangle and the Traffic in Women
This "traffic in women" suggests that patriarchal societies are built on men using women as currency to cement bonds with other men. In Between Men
To explain how men navigate these bonds while avoiding the label of "homosexual," Sedgwick utilizes the theory of the . In these structures, two men (often rivals) compete for the affection of one woman. However, the woman is not the primary focus; she serves as a "conduit" or a bridge through which the two men express their intense interest in each other in a socially acceptable way. At the heart of Between Men is the
Title: The Silent Conduit: Homosocial Desire and the Architecture of Men’s Relationships The Erotic Triangle and the Traffic in Women