LGBTQ+ History Resources: Thesis / Dissertation

This PhD thesis looks at the history of LGBTQ+ people in Berlin, from the end of WW2 to the 1970s. It focus on specific spaces, such as bars, homes, and prisons, exploring the influence they had on the lives of LGBTQ+ people during a very turbulent period of German history.

This thesis looks at gay relationships in American institutions of higher education in the 19th century, with a focus on Yale.

This PhD this from 2009 explores how the representation of gay MPs in British newspapers has changed over time.

This PhD thesis "explores theatrical crossdressing, specifically masculinity embodied by a female actor, in British and American performances starting in 1689 and ending in 1914. By examining specific performances, plays and historical individuals over the course of 225 years, this dissertation traces theorizations of gender during these different time periods, combining a close reading of texts with historical research and historiography to offer transgender readings of characters, performers and historical individuals."

This thesis explores the transgressive sexual relationships and gender expression of Edward II and those closest to him.

This PhD thesis details the life of Kaikhosru Sorabji (1892-1988), a half Parsee musician and composer, through oral history. The author interviewed people from the village in which Sorabji lived his secluded life and the section on Sorabji's companion, Reginald Best, points to his homosexuality and details the reactions and attitudes of villagers to their relationship.

"This dissertation considers the intersections between emerging capitalism, global trade, and shifting negotiations of value as they are represented in early modern English theatre during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries."

This PhD thesis provides a queer reading of "galanterie" in seventeenth century French prose fiction. Texts analysed include Madame de Villedieu’s Mémoires de la vie de Henriette Sylvie de Molière (1672), Catherine Bernard’s Fédéric de Sicile (1680), l'Abbé de Choisy's Histoire de la Marquise-Marquis de Banneville (1695), and Donneau de Visé’s “queer tales” in multiple issues of Mercure galant.

This thesis looks at fishwives in early modern London. Fishwives were women who sold fish, typically the fish caught by their fishermen husbands. It "applies the insights of queer history to the case of fishwives, and argues that fishwives were seen as sexually non-normative."