Male Colors

Name: Male Colors
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SKU: 9780520209008
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The Construction of Homosexuality in Tokugawa Japan

By Gary Leupp

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Summary

Male Colors explores the unique place of male homosexual behaviour in Tokugawa Japan, a society that openly celebrated such relationships much like ancient Athens. Gary Leupp examines historical sources ranging from fiction and legal codes to religious texts and art, revealing the origins and social contexts of male same-sex practices among monks, samurai, and commoners. The book argues that cultural factors, rather than inherent nature, shaped these behaviours, highlighting the prominence of bisexuality alongside homosexuality.
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Format: Hardback

$64⁹⁹

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Male Colors

$64⁹⁹

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Ideal for readers interested in Japanese history, sexuality studies, and cultural anthropology, this scholarly work offers deep insights into the historical construction of sexual desire and gender in East Asia.

Based on a wealth of literary and historical documentation, this study places Tokugawa homosexuality in a global context, exploring its implications for contemporary debates on the historical construction of sexual desire. It traces the origins of pre-Tokugawa homosexual traditions among monks and samurai.

Description

Tokugawa Japan ranks with ancient Athens as a society that not only tolerated, but celebrated, male homosexual behaviour. Male Colors places Tokugawa homosexuality in a global context, exploring its implications for contemporary debates on the historical construction of sexual desire.

Combing through popular fiction, law codes, religious works, medical treatises, biographical material and artistic treatments, this book traces the origins of pre-Tokugawa homosexual traditions among monks and samurai. It then describes the emergence of homosexual practices among commoners in Tokugawa cities.

The book argues that it was "nurture" rather than "nature" that accounted for such conspicuous male/male sexuality and that bisexuality was more prevalent than homosexuality.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780520209008

Publisher: University of California Press

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 15 May 1997

Country: United States

Imprint: University of California Press

Illustration: 32 illustrations

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 20.0mm

Width: 152.0mm

Height: 229.0mm

Weight: 454g

Pages: 317

Collections

Education & Reference Gary Leupp LGBTQ+ Non-Fiction

About the Author

Gary P. Leupp is Associate Professor of History at Tufts University and the author of Servants, Shophands, and Laborers in the Cities of Tokugawa Japan (1992).