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Sexual Diversity in Asia, c. 600 - 1950

Edited by Raquel A.G. Reyes, William G. Clarence-Smith

To Be Published June 4th 2012 by Routledge – 176 pages

Series: Routledge Contemporary Asia Series

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Description

Placing sex acts in Asia at the forefront of historical investigation, this book explores the history of sodomy and other so-called transgressive sexual practices, such as anal sex, same-sex erotic encounters, pederasty, bestiality, incest, transgenderism, and oral sex, in East, Southeast and South Asia.

The book examines historical attitudes to sexuality in Asia from the perspectives of law and punishment, medicine, religion, morality and political culture. It demonstrates the importance of a historically contextualised focus on diverse sexual acts and practices, and shows how these were perceived and represented at specific times and places. New light is shed on the historical constitution of indigenous sexual morality, addressing such questions as how sexual behaviour was influenced by religion and tradition, and ways in which sexual practices were integrated into religious observance, medical practices and the maintenance of physical health. The book goes on to analyse which sexual practices were proscribed and punished, and which were tolerated or even encourages by society, community and religious faith.

Providing important new insights into the histories of sexual diversity in Asia, this book is of interest to students and scholars of the history of gender and sexuality and Asian cultures more generally.

Contents

Introduction Raquel Reyes Part 1: Texts 1. Other Pleasures? Anal Sex and Medical Discourse in Pre-modern China Vivienne Lo and Penelope Barrett 2. Censured Sexual Acts and Early Medieval Society in India Daud Ali 3. Same-sex Relations and Transgender Identities in Islamic Southeast Asia, from the Fifteenth Century to the 1940s William G. Clarence-Smith Part 2: People 4. Strange Bedfellows: Male Homo-Eroticism and Politics in Thai History Tamara Loos 5. The Shogun’s Lover’s Would-be Swedish Boyfriend: Inoue Masashige, Tokugawa Iemitsu and Olof Eriksson Willman Timon Screech Part 3: Crimes and Sins 6. Sodomy in Seventeenth-Century Manila: The Luck of a Mandarin from Taiwan Raquel Reyes 7. Male-Male Sex, Bestiality and Incest in the Early-Modern Indonesian Archipelago: Perceptions and Penalties Peter Boomgaard

Author Bio

Raquel A. G. Reyes is a Research Fellow in the Department of History at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, UK and at the Royal Netherlands Institute of South East Asian and Caribbean Studies (KITLV). Her research interests include history of medicine and science from transnational perspectives, overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia, and transregional trade networks and global exchanges.

William G. Clarence-Smith is Professor in the Department of History at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, UK. He is the chief editor of the Journal of Global History and has written widely on diasporas, labour, sexuality and consumption.

Name: Sexual Diversity in Asia, c. 600 - 1950 (Hardback) – Routledge 
Description: Edited by Raquel A.G. Reyes, William G. Clarence-Smith. Placing sex acts in Asia at the forefront of historical investigation, this book explores the history of sodomy and other so-called transgressive sexual practices, such as anal sex, same-sex erotic encounters, pederasty, bestiality, incest,...
Categories: Asian Studies (General), Cultural Sexuality, Asian History, LGBT History, Sexuality - Gender Studies, Gender Studies - Soc Sci, South East Asian Studies, Asia Pacific Studies, Asian Culture & Society, Asian History, Gay & Lesbian Studies, Sexuality