What was the social purpose of the motif of women wearing men's clothing in early modern England? What did the cross-dressed woman mean to men and what did she mean for women? How was the reception different for cross-dressed women in literary or theatrical contexts as opposed to ordinary women in real life? Lucas's article looks at the association between female cross-dressing, disorderly conduct in general, sexual misconduct, and anxiety about the disruption of all social categories, not just gender categories.
LHMP
Blog entry
Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 90 (previously 30d) - The New Atalantis - Secret Lesbian Clubs in 17th c Literature - transcript
(Originally aired 2019/01/26 - listen here)
Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 89 (previously 30c) - The Favourite - transcript
(Originally aired 2019/01/19 - listen here)
[Note: The scripted portion of the show is transcribed, but the interview portions are still pending transcription.]
One of the topics looming over this blog (though likely to be addressed in the podcast) is the historic ambiguity between the expression of gender identity and the use of gender presentation to accommodate heteronormative expectations in the context of same-sex desire. Or, to put it in less academic terms: the conflict between interpreting a historic individual as a trans man or a cross-dressing lesbian.
Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 88 (previously 30b) - The State of Lesbian Historicals in 2018 - transcript
(Originally aired 2019/01/12 - listen here)
This is a dense and wide-ranging study of lesbian-relevant themes in Indian history, literature, religion, and politics, covering the entire range of history from the earliest written records up through the present day. I'll confess that I'm not familiar enough with the literary and religious traditions to be able to take in a lot of the nuances, but Thadani does a great job of providing both an overview and deep dives within an amazingly compact volume.
Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 86 (previously 29e) - At the Mouth by Gurmika Mann - transcript
(Originally aired 2018/12/29 - listen here)
Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 87 (previously 30a) - On the Shelf for January 2019 - Transcript
(Originally aired 2018/01/05 - listen here)
Welcome to On the Shelf for January 2019.
'Tis the season for the giving of gifts. And so, completely randomly, I want to give some person a gift. Comment here with the title of one of the books covered on the Lesbian Historic Motif Project blog that you desperately want to own. I will pick a winner semi-randomly (*) and send it to you. This offer is not limited by geography but applies to either hard-copy or (if available) e-book, as preferred.
I wish I had time to go into more detail about the individual readings collected in this volume, rather than simply summarizing the explanatory material. But if you have any interest in finding out more about the rich history of same-sex relations on the subcontinent--especially before the colonial era--it would be worth tracking down this volume. The editors are working from within their own cultures and have personally created many of the translations included here.
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