Lesbian-Like Women in the Global Middle Ages

Abstract

This thesis is a comparative study of lesbian-like women across three distinct geographical contexts during the late Middle Ages. These contexts are Confucian China, Dar al-Islam, and Latin Christendom. This thesis aims to shine a light on an area of history that is often overlooked, that of the lesbian-like woman, and further compare lesbian-like women of colour to their more prominently studied white counterparts. From here an understanding of what shared experiences lesbian-like women had across three radically different areas can be gleaned. This thesis is divided into three chapters, which examine authoritative sources as well as male- and female-authored texts. The first chapter concludes that despite the varying types of authoritative sources found across the three different contexts they all contribute to a global phallocentric understanding of lesbianism. Regardless of the form of a given authoritative source takes, lesbianism is always framed as phallocentric with the phallic appropriation representing the ultimate transgression a lesbian-like woman commits. The second chapter illustrates that male-authored texts, despite presenting lesbian-like stories, end their tales with intense hetero-sexualization. Lesbian-like behaviour is presented as a strange interlude which eventually ends with a return to normalcy. The third chapter addresses the female perspective through female-authored texts and concludes that female-only spaces became de-facto lesbian-like spaces. Removed from the rigidity of patriarchal expectations these women’s spaces, which they were forced into or praised for entering willingly, gave women a general freedom which allowed for lesbian-like behaviour to be pursued unhindered. Ultimately, this thesis illustrates that lesbian-like women were subjugated like all women across these three distinct cultures but lesbian-like women managed to thrive thanks to a unique apathy for female-female interactions.