Sexualgeschichte

Sexualgeschichte, or the history of sexuality, is an academic field that studies how human sexual practices, identities, norms, and discourses have developed across cultures and periods. It examines how sexuality is shaped by social, economic, legal, religious, and political structures, as well as by technology, medicine, and media. The field draws on sources such as legal codes, medical texts, religious writings, literature, visual culture, and personal documents to understand changing attitudes toward sex, gender, and intimacy.

The modern study of sexuality emerged in the 19th and 20th centuries with the rise of sexology and related disciplines. Early researchers such as Karl Heinrich Ulrichs and Magnus Hirschfeld explored sexuality as a dimension of identity and social life. In the English-speaking world, Alfred Kinsey’s reports (1948, 1953) and later work by Masters and Johnson provided empirical data on sexual behavior and physiology. In the humanities, Michel Foucault’s History of Sexuality reframed sexuality as produced by discourses and power relations, influencing cultural history, gender studies, and queer studies.

Cross-cultural and comparative approaches highlight how different societies regulate and represent sexuality through laws on marriage, reproduction, prostitution, censorship, and gender norms. Historians analyze a wide range of sources to trace continuity and change, including religious doctrine, medical and psychiatric writings, popular culture, and personal testimony. The field also engages with ethical considerations, such as privacy, representation, and the diversity of experiences beyond traditional Western narratives.