People with a History: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Trans* History Sourcebook
History and Theory
Editor: Paul Halsall
Contents:
Introduction: History and Theory
Go to the following pages for other parts of People with a History
Introduction
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Chapter 1: History and Theory
For teachers of courses on LGBT subjects an important choice is
always whether to address "events and people" or "theory"
first. In most areas of history this is simply not an issue: courses
focus on periods and any relevant "theory" -- for example,
Marxist economics, Whig politics -- is discussed as it come up.
But LGBT history almost from the outset has been intertwined with
complex discussions about what makes a "homosexual".
It is also true that much of the evidence about "homosexuality"
in the past survives in sources which have long been of interest
to philologists, philosophers, and literary critics. The result
is that the field is awash with jargonistic discussions. These
discussions are not, however, pointless, and have raised basic
questions about the entire arena of the history of human sexuality.
Discussions:
- R. von Krafft-Ebing: Psychopathia Sexualis, trans of 7th German ed. 1892 full text [Wikisource]
- Xavier Mayne: The Intersexes: A HIstory of Similisexualism as a Problem in Social Life 1910 full text [Wikisource]
- Mary McIntosh: The Homosexual Role, Social Problems, Vol. 16, No. 2. (Autumn, 1968), pp. 182-192 [At Berkeley] [Internet Archive version here]
Crucial article which put forward the central social constructionist argument that the "modern homosexual" was a new construction.
- John Thorp: Review Article/Discussion, The Social Construction of Homosexuality Phoenix [At this Site]
Thorp analyzes one of the defining debates in the academic study
of homosexuality in the past. He attacks the notion that there
was no "homosexuality" in ancient Greece by considering
claims of Foucault and Halperin.
- Jeffery Weeks: The Construction of Homosexuality (1996) pp 41-63 in Queer Theory/Sociology, edited by Steven Seidman. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishers [At Middlebury] [Internet Archive version here]
- John Gagnon and William Simon: The Social Origins of Sexual Development (2004). In Sexualities: Identities, Behaviors and Society. Eds Kimmel and Plante [At Middlebury] [Internet Archive version here]
- Lisa Wade: The New Science of Sex Difference Sociology Compass 7/4 (2013) [At Middlebury] [Internet Archive version here]
- Jonathan Ned Katz: The Invention of Heterosexuality Socialist Review 20 (1990) [Was at Debrecen, now Internet Archive]
- Thomas Laqueur: Making Sex: Body and Gender from Greeks to Freud. Chapter 2 (1990) [At Middlebury] [Internet Archive version here]
- Thomas Laqueur: Making Sex: Body and Gender from Greeks to Freud. Chapter 6 (1990) [At Middlebury] [Internet Archive version here]
-
David M. Halperin: Forgetting Foucault: Acts, Identities, and the History of Sexuality [Was At Emory, now Internet Archive]
Halperin is among the leaders of the "social constructionist"
school of thought in regard to homosexuality in the Ancient world.
- Laurel M. Bowman:
Interview with David Halperin, Favonius vol. 3 (1991), 27-43 [Was Ay U Vic, now Internet Archive]
- Marilyn B. Skinner: Zeus and Leda: The Sexuality Wars in Contemporary Classical Scholarship [Was At Diotima, now Internet Archive]
-
Mark Ormand: Positions for Classicists, or Why Should Feminist Classicists Care about Queer Theory? [Was At Diotima, now Internet Archive]
- Rictor Norton: A Critique of Social Constructionism and Postmodern Queer Theory [At Rictor Norton] [Internet Archive version here]
A whole series of sharply critical essays.
- Rictor Norton: Synopsis of The Myth of the Modern Homosexual: Queer History and the
Search for Cultural Unity, (London: Cassells, 1997) [Was At Norton, now Internet Archive]
Norton is an opponent of "social construction" theories.
He holds that the proper subject of gay history is queer culture
in the past.
- Rictor Norton:: F*ck Foucault How Eighteenth-Century Homosexual History Validates the Essentialist Model [At Rictor Norton] [Internet Archive version here]
Expanded version of a presentation given on 27 May 2010 as part of the UCLA Mellon Sawyer Seminar “Homosexualities, From Antiquity to the Present”
-
Richard Mohr: "John Boswell and Gay Generations",
[At QRD] [Internet Archive version here]
Although a number of gay historians have been critical of John
Boswell (along with the usual right-wing critics), many others
have appreciated what he brought to gay historical studies.
-
Vincent Cheng: Judith Butler's Obliteration of the "I" [Was At Berkeley, now Internet Archive]
A paper on Butler's concept of "performitivity" - now
a major theme in a number of LGBT research projects.
- Paul Halsall: Comments on Defining a Field: Lesbian and Gay History,
CUNY 1995 [At this Site]
- Paul Halsall: A History of Heterosexuality? [At this Site]
- Wayne Dynes:
Queer Studies: In Search of A Discipline 1995 [At Pagan Press] [Internet Archive version here]
Critique of 1994 Queer studies conference at University of Iowa.
- Annamarie Jagose: Queer Theory, Australian Humanities Review, December 1996 [Was At latrobe.edu.au, now Internet Archive]
-
Donald Morton: The Crisis of Queer Theory and/in Altman's "Globalism" [Was At latrobe.edu.au, now Internet Archive]
-
Frederick Whitam: A Question of Sexual Orientation,
ASU RESEARCH, 23 Aug. 1995 [Was At Arizona State U., now Internet Archive]
Summary of ethnographic report, with claims of genetic basis for
homosexuality
-
Amy Goodloe: Choice, Biology and the Causes of Homosexuality [Was At Lesbian.org, now Internet Archive]
Presented at a panel discussion on Queer Studies at SFSU September,
1994.
- Rictor Norton: The Myth of the Modern Homosexual: Queer History and the Search for Cultural Unity 1997 [At Rictor Norton's website] [Internet Archive version here]
A summary, and a very long set of substantial extracts from Norton's attack on the the "social constructionist school" os LGBT historiography. Essential readings.
Reviews:
Websites:
- WEB Queer Frontiers [At USC. link to defunct site at Internet Archive]
Was an important "Queer Theory" site.
- WEB Foucault Home Page [At CSUN] [Internet Archive version here]
Discussion of the work of French philosopher Michel Foucault has
been central to some recent historiography of LGBT's. This is
probably the best Foucault site, and has links to others. The
links page here provides references to sites concerned with the
other divinities of "theory" - Nietzsche, Lacan, Heidigger,
Derrida, Deleuze. Some would argue it is all a commentary on Nietzsche. [no longer maintained]
- WEB The Gay Gene [Was At AOL, now Internet Archive]
A site run by Chandler Burr for "both scientists and non-scientists.
It contains articles and links to ongoing studies. Much of the
"critical theory" aspect of discussion about LGBT history
has been founded on the assumption that "sexuality"
is a human "social construction". This notion does have solid backing from anthropological data. A major challenge
to the "constructionist" position has arisen with the
publication of a number of different studies which suggest that
homosexuality has a genetic basis in at least some people.
- WEB The Scientific Debate on Homosexuality [Was At Dallas.net, now Internet Archive]
Slightly "lighter" than the Gay Gene site.
- WEB Scientific Inquiries into Sexual Orientation [At CMU] [Internet Archive version here]
- WEB How to look for records of...Sexuality and gender identity history
[At The National Archives UK]
Back to Contents
NOTES
People with a History: An Online Guide to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Trans* History is part of the Internet History Sourcebooks Project. Date of inception was 1997. People with a History is a www site presenting
history relevant to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered people, through primary
sources, secondary discussions, and images. Links to files at other site are indicated by [At some indication of the site name or location]. WEB indicates a link to one of small number of high quality web sites which provide either more texts or an especially valuable overview.
The Internet History Sourcebooks Project is located at the History Department of Fordham University, New York. The Internet
Medieval Sourcebook, and other medieval components of the project, are located at
the Fordham University Center
for Medieval Studies.The IHSP recognizes the contribution of Fordham University, the
Fordham University History Department, and the Fordham Center for Medieval Studies in
providing web space and server support for the project. The IHSP is a project independent of Fordham University. Although the IHSP seeks to follow all applicable copyright law, Fordham University is not
the institutional owner, and is not liable as the result of any legal action.
© Site Concept and Design: Paul Halsall created 26 Jan 1996: latest revision 4 October 2024 [CV]
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