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22 - Public History and Sexuality

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 April 2024

By
Melinda Marie Jetté
Edited by
Merry E. Wiesner-Hanks  and
Mathew Kuefler
Merry E. Wiesner-Hanks
Affiliation:
University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
Mathew Kuefler
Affiliation:
San Diego State University
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Summary

A variety of social and political tensions have historically shaped the interconnections between sexuality and public history, including the display of sexually explicit materials for the general public, concerns about censorship and the role of institutional funders, and debates about the role of mainstream institutions to document the history of communities long targeted by the guardians of official memory. Some aspects of sexuality, such as marriage, have long been part of public history, while others, such as sex work, have only rarely been mentioned. LGBTQ+ history has been particularly controversial, so this chapter focuses primarily on LGBTQ+ sexualities in public history, including organizations, archives, museums, publications, exhibitions, grassroots history projects, digital media, and other venues.

Keywords

LGBTQ+homophileMagnus Hirschfeldobscenitypornographypublic historysecret museumsex museumqueer
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge World History of Sexualities , pp. 493 - 516
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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References

Further Reading

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