SEX ON THE MARGINS : NEW DIRECTIONS IN THE HISTORIOGRAPHY OF SEXUALITY AND GENDER

Over the last forty years, the history of sexuality has developed into a vibrant historical genre. Despite the diversity of the resulting academic literature, within it is an often implicit focus on ‘ marginal ’ subjects. This historiographical review examines why this is the case, exploring the development of the history of sexuality and its theoretical underpinnings, before suggesting the ways in which this focus on the ‘marginal ’ has limited resulting works. Finally, it suggests ways in which the historians might move forward, both by discussing some of the more provocative new texts and concepts within the field, and also by posing several questions for future study.