Introduction

In this introductory chapter, we outline the main subjects, themes, objectives, and methodologies found in the volume. We also provide the reader with a guide to the problems the book undertakes to explore, as reflected in its structure; in other words, we explain the rationale behind grouping the chapters as we have, in order to highlight each part’s shared concerns and conclusions which we consider valuable to the study of sex, sexuality, and eroticism in history. In this way, the introduction explicates the methodological models and critical approaches applied in the volume for scholars interested in engaging in the same kind of historical analysis. We also argue for the importance and special benefits for the historian of continuing to (re-)examine history, and particular histories, through the lens of the volume’s themes.