The History of Sexuality in Europe ─ A Sourcebook and Reader

The History of Sexuality in Europe: A sourcebook and reader is a dynamic introduction to the latest debates in the history of sexuality in Europe. It begins with an introduction, "The magnetic poetry kit of sex," that surveys the field of sexuality and introduces the new concept of sexual grammar. The Reader focuses on the modern age, but has three chapters on the ancient and medieval worlds to demonstrate their very different cultures of sexuality.

Each section of the Reader pairs the latest chapters and articles by experts with primary sources, addressing questions such as:

-Why did ancient Greek philosophers and medieval Islamic poets celebrate men's desire for each other?

-Was Jesus a queer eunuch?

-Were Victorians sexually repressed?

-How did nonwestern cultures change some Europeans' ideas about sex?

-Does regulating prostitution protect or punish women who sell sex?

-How did sexologists learn from feminists, and men and women who desired those of the same sex?

-Were 1960's feminists pro- or anti-sex?

Anna Clark is a Professor of History at the University of Minnesota.

Anna Clark is a Professor of History at the University of Minnesota. Her publications include Women's Silence, Men's Violence: Sexual assault in England, 1770-1845 (1987). The Struggle for the Breeches: Gender and the making of the British working class (1995), Scandal: The sexual politics of the British constitution (2003) and Desire (Routledge, 2008).