History: Queer History - An Introduction

There are still many people who claim that binary gender and heterosexuality have always been the norm. The evidence of history says otherwise. Only in recent years, however, has queer history developed as a subject in its own right. This short course is a chance to delve into the fascinating reality of varied values and social structures around sex, sexuality and gender as we explore examples ranging from ancient Greece to Victorian Britain. Along the way we will encounter gender-non-conforming pirates, secret same-sex weddings, early Christians divided over sex and early socialists championing free love. As we look at letters, diaries, newspaper reports and court records, you will hear of the views and experiences of these people – and their critics – in their own words. Once seen as an insult, the word “queer” has become widely used to refer to people, practices and principles that disturb simplistic binaries and challenge us to see the limitations of our own time and place. During this course we will ask what “queer history” means for us consider just a few of the diverse ways in which sex, sexuality and gender have been understood – and the lives of those who have challenged society to see them differently.