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The old model of lesbianism as a pathological affliction has largely given way to a liberal social scientific one which presents it as an alternative lifestyle, a way of loving, a sexual preference, or a source of personal fulfilment. This book argues that the shift from "pathological" to "gay affirmative" research merely substitutes one depoliticized construction of the lesbian for another. The author contends that the liberal "social construction," instead of furthering the liberation of women, represents a new development in the oppression of women in general and lesbians in particular. Gay affirmative constructions are fundamentally incompatible with radical feminist theory in which lesbianism is a political statement representing the bonding of women against male supremacy. Kitzinger urges researchers to reject the traditional model of science as an objective search for truths or facts, but instead to examine their own rhetoric and evaluate their political commitments.--From publisher's description.
The Renaissance of Lesbianism in Early Modern England is the eagerly-awaited study by the feminist scholar who was among the first to address the issue of early modern female homoeroticism. Valerie Traub analyzes the representation of female-female love, desire and eroticism in a range of early modern discourses, including poetry, drama, visual arts, pornography and medicine. Contrary to the silence and invisibility typically ascribed to lesbianism in the Renaissance, Traub argues that the early modern period witnessed an unprecedented proliferation of representations of such desire. By means of sophisticated interpretations of a comprehensive set of texts, the book not only charts a crucial shift in representations of female homoeroticism over the course of the seventeenth century, but also offers a provocative genealogy of contemporary lesbianism. A contribution to the history of sexuality and to feminist and queer theory, the book addresses current theoretical preoccupations through the lens of historical inquiry.
"This is the first account written by women--by Lesbians--about themselves and their struggle. For Lesbians, as for most women today, the present is experience as a collision between the past and future. The first part of Sappho Was a Right-on Woman, "What It Was Like," deals with the past: the guilt, the shame, the duplicity, that are part of living in a society that condemns Lesbians--when it cannot ignore them. Temporary sanctuaries (bars, gay ghettos, vacation spots) and "bizarre" behavior are part of the past for some Lesbians, and still very much part of the present for many. The second part of the book, "Living the Future," reflects profound change taking place within society, the wom...
This pioneering effort is the first attempt to reach a nationwide representation of lesbian elders in order to understand this deeply hidden segment of our population. The women in Lesbians Over 60 Speak for Themselves candidly describe their necessarily secret lives in a hostile society--how they feel about being "different," how they cope with the homophobia that surrounds them, their most pressing problems, how aging has affected them, as well as the most intriguing topic: their sexual behavior--as it was in their youth and as it is now. This powerful book provides fascinating demographics about this previously neglected group of women and thoroughly explores their intimate thoughts and feelings about aging and lesbianism.
Claudette Kulkarni explores lesbian experience from a Jungian and feminist perspective, through interviews with women who see themselves as lesbians or who are in a lesbian relationship. Although a feminist treatment of the subject challenges the heterosexism of Jungian theory, the author presents a link between theory and experience that is consistent with both approaches. She concludes that when a woman finds herself loving another woman she is often responding to a profound psychological instinct to act, in spite of internal conflict or external opposition, and that this is a significant move in the service of personal and collective individuation and a movement toward achieving self-understanding
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The essential guide to enjoying modern lesbianism These days, lesbians are everywhere you turn, streaming for your entertainment or commenting on the important political movements and hairdos of the day. Yet as more doors open on this often-misunderstood world, who hasn’t found him- or herself wondering how he or she might uncover the secrets, experience the glamour, enjoy the special advantages of lesbianism? Helen Eisenbach’s hilariously irreverent guide provides a front-row seat to a largely female universe where love, lust, and forbidden laughter are just a fingertip away. Sharing hard-earned truths with sly insight and wit, Eisenbach reveals the fascinating inside story of a growing culture and shows how anyone can acquire the skills and state of mind to be a lesbian. From flirting to family values, from work to play, from enlightening friends, relatives, or strangers to figuring out how to have sex with women or choose a pet, Lesbianism Made Easy answers all your questions—and some you didn’t know you had.
This new edition of Lesbianism allows one to understand lesbianism as a way of life. The original 1965-1966 research study is included in its entirety. Unlike Freud, who based his view that lesbianism was a mental disorder on a single case study, this breakthrough and innovative research project concerns interviews and psychological testing of 26 lesbians who were not psychiatric patients. And, as one would predict, these lesbians were not disturbed, as far as mental health was concerned. The original research was done before homosexuality was removed as a mental disorder. It seems odd today to even consider Freud's view as accurate. We have come a long way in recognizing that one's sexual preference is just that. This study was a pioneering one that disproved a false idea that lesbianism was evidence of an emotional disorder. And this 2020 edition includes a conversation about the book with Rachel Rosen, who is a lesbian. The dialogue between the author and his daughter provides insightful questions and a true understanding of lesbianism.
From Renaissance love poems to twentieth-century novels, plays, and short stories, The Literature of Lesbianism brings together hundreds of literary works on the subject of female homosexuality with an astonishing and often unpredictable range of attitudes. Both male and female authors are represented as Castle explores the emergence and transformation of the "idea of lesbianism" over the past five centuries.
Classics in Lesbian Studies takes a major step in giving the lesbian experience its own unique voice within scholarship and the larger world society. Thus, it is devoted exclusively to the lesbian experience and serves as a vehicle for the promotion of scholarship and commentary on lesbianism from an international perspective. Not only does it ensure that “classic” pieces are not forgotten by new generations of students and scholars, it also spurs further lesbian research, writing, theory, and scholarship. In Classics in Lesbian Studies, you are introduced to descriptive, theoretical, empirical, applied, and multicultural perspectives in the field of lesbian studies. Interdisciplinary, t...