This work is a cross-cultural inquiry into the practice of celibacy around the world and through the ages, among groups as diverse as: Kenyan villagers; US prisoners; Mazatec shamans; Buddhist nuns and monks; Shaker Church members; and anorexic women. The examples of celibacy described illustrate the complex relationship between human sexuality and its particular sociocultural context. Ideas about the body, gender, family, work, religion, health, and other dimensions of life come sharply into focus as the contributors examine many practices and institutions surrounding sexual abstinence. They show that, though celibacy is certainly sometimes a punishment or a deliberate ritual abstinence, it also serves many other social and material functions and in some cases contributes to kin-group survival and well-being.