[1925e] Modernism's Lab: Sexuality as Identity

Before 1900, few Europeans associated sexual preferences or desires with identity. One engaged in a variety of sexual acts with various partners, some licit (like your spouse in order to procreate), some illicit (outside of wedlock, a prostitute, someone of the same sex, etc.). But generally speaking the idea one was homo or heterosexual did not yet exist. How and why sexual preferences evolved into identities is the subject of this episode. Among other things, topics discussed include the politicization of sex and the body in the late 19th century (17:27), the Eulenberg Affair in 1907 and the role of scandal in driving identity awareness (19:58), the rise of sex researchers such as Magnus Hirschfeld (35:39), and postwar reactions to the new public face of homosexuality (46:15). Also see important clarifications at (5:21), or skip the intro here (0:50).

Point of clarification: the episode describes trends taking place from about 1890-1930. Public displays of male homosexuality became increasingly prominent in urban centers after 1890, becoming more common after 1918. So like many of the modernity-related phenomena we've discussed, one can find traces of these developments that predate the war.

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