Homosexual sexuality was not the same in every European country. In Western Europe, men could grow beards and tried be stereotypically masculine to appeal to the same sex. In the Mediterranean, they would try to look as feminine as possible: shaving and trying to maintain a slender physique. In this lecture, Sir Noel Malcolm tracks these differences with a focus on Medieval homosexuality.
The book upon which these lectures were based, has been nominated for the 2025 The Duff Cooper Prize. It can be purchased here:
https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/forbidden-desire-in-early-modern-europe-male-male-sexual-relations-1400-1750-sir-noel-malcolm/7538178?aid=13657&ean=9780198886334
Sir Noel Malcolm is a British historian and author, known for his work in early modern history and the relationship between Europe and the Islamic world. He's a Senior Research Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford, and has written extensively on Thomas Hobbes, among other subjects. Knighted in 2014, he's also a Fellow of the British Academy and the Royal Society of Literature
— Follow the Pharos Foundation —
Website: https://pharos.foundation/
Twitter: https://x.com/Pharosofficial
Instagram: pharos_foundation
#history #podcast #gayhistory #islamicgoldenage #renaissance #foucault