Books
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Male Homosexuality in West Germany: Between Persecution and Freedom, 1945-1969
Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan "Clayton Whisnant ... ably demonstrates in his book how fascinating and fruitful it can be to research the situation and the life of homosexual men in the 1950s and 1960s. The author convincingly argues that ‘this era made a positive contribution to the history of German homosexuality, without which it is impossible to imagine gay life in the country today.' ... It is, as far as I can see, the first English-language monograph offering a comprehensive and source-based treatment of the post-war history of male same-sex desires in West Germany. It offers its readers numerous fruitful thoughts and inspiring insights into the history of homosexualities as well as German history." -- Benno Gammerl in German Historical Institute London Bulletin , Max Planck Institute for Human Development "[A] sober and brisk account of the situation of gay men in postwar Germany up to 1969. It acknowledges a debt to other leading scholars of sexuality in modern Germany ... and to a wider literature that has sought to problematize the history of sexuality ... The book is clear and direct, and will offer students much that is useful and engaging." -- Leif Jerram in German History, University of Manchester |
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Queer Identities and Politics in Germany: A History, 1880-1945
New York: Harrington Park Press, 2016 "Cogent, well-researched and readable. Useful as a reader in a first year undergraduate course in the history of sexuality or alternatively as a reference work for a course on the Racial State or the Holocaust. This book is certainly also of interest to LGBTQ community groups and LGBTQ Resource Centers." -- Jennifer Evans, editor of Queer Cities, Queer Culture: Europe Since 1945 (Continuum, 2013) with Matt Cook, Carlton University "This is an outstanding survey book in all respects: intelligible to a wider readership while still pursuing an intellectual ambition, knowledgeable and precise, including stories and telling details while also offering interpretative food for thought and never losing the red thread. Different aspects and layers of queer history in Germany c. 1880-1945 are expertly covered, from Sexualwissenschaft to media scandals, from literary life to urban space. Recommended with enthusiasm." -- Moritz Föllmer, former reviews editor, German History, University of Amsterdam "This book describes these milestones in detail.... It reveals little-known aspects of lesbian life at the time while also addressing the sexuality of several well-known literary and artistic figures.... [Whisnant] also offers new information on the Nazis' preoccupation with homosexuality." -- Troy Carrington in OutSmart "A skillful narrative history.... Whisnant has done a terrific job of tracing the complex, turbulent path of LGBT Germans with liveliness, intelligence, and poignancy." -- Vernon Rosario in The Gay and Lesbian Review "[Queer Identities and Politics in Germany] open[s] doors onto a half-forgotten and obscured aspect of human history." -- John-Pierre Joyce in History Today "Whisnant’s Queer Identities and Politics in Germany: A History 1880–1945 presents a strong, timely survey of the birth of LGBTIQ politics in that country, covering more than six decades, from the founding in the 1890s of the Scientific-Humanitarian Committee, the world’s first dedicated homosexual rights organization, through the fin-de-siècle scandals in the kaiser’s inner circle, the growth of urban gay 'scenes' in the Weimar Republic, and a brief history of Nazi persecution. -- Katie Sutton in the Journal of the History of Sexuality |