Holding it Straight: sexual orientation in the Middle Ages

Calendar
When:
October 22, 2013 @ 12:15 pm – 1:00 pm
2013-10-22T12:15:00+00:00
2013-10-22T13:00:00+00:00
Where:
UCL Darwin Lecture Theatre, access via Malet Place
UCL
Gower Street, London, Greater London WC1E 6BT
UK
Cost:
Free
Contact:
Cath Dean
Email
Event website
Academic Art History Sex & Gender

medieval sexDr Bob Mills (UCL History of Art)

Historians tend to be reticent about applying the phrase ‘sexual orientation’ to periods before the nineteenth century, but should we be so quick to dismiss the concept? Focusing on depictions of virgins and sodomites – two seemingly opposing categories – this talk will explore how medieval encounters with sex were shaped by concepts of space and orientation.