Myth of the Modern Homosexual Queer History and the Search for Cultural Unity [Hardcover]

With careful reasoning supported by wide-ranging scholarship, this study exposes the fallacies of 'social constructionist' theories within lesbian and gay studies and makes a forceful case for the autonomy of queer identity and culture. It presents evidence that queers are part of a centuries-old history, possessing a unified historical and cultural identity. The volume reviews the fundamental historiographical issues about the nature of queer history, arguing that a new generation of queer historians will need to abandon authoritarian dogma founded upon politically-correct ideology rather than historical experience. Norton offers a clear exposition of the evidence for ancient, indigenous and pre-modern queer cultural continuity, revealing how knowledge of that history has been suppressed and censored and sets out the 'queer cultural essentialist' position on the key topics of queer history  role, identity, bisexuality, orientation, linguistics, social control, homophobia, subcultures, and kinship patterns.Rictor Nortonis an American writer on literary and cultural history, particularly gay history.

Preface
Acknowledgements
Part One: Social Constructionism and Other Myths
1. The Search for Cultural Unity
2. Queer BC (Before Constructionism)
3. The Myth of the Modern Homosexual
4. It's Just a Phrase We're Going Through
Part Two: The Nature of Queer History
5. What Is Queer History?
6. The Evidence of Things Not Seen
7. Lesbian Historiography
Part Three: Queer Culture
8. The Great Queens of History
9. Queer (Sub)cultures
10. Queer Folk and Culture Queens
References
Index