Sex, love and friendship: homosexuality in medieval monasticism (1050-1167)

Author(s)

Arthur Rocha Martins Rodrigues Teixeira

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: Campinas, SP.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas
• Defense date: 2024-02-28

Examining board members

Néri de Barros Almeida; Carolina Gual da Silva; Igor Salomão Teixeira

• Advisor: Néri de Barros Almeida

Abstract

The objective of this dissertation is to analyse homosexuality during the years 1050 to 1167, based on the writings of three monks who addressed the topic in letters and theological treatises. During the Middle Ages, sexuality was mainly seen from a perspective of repression and Christian institutional control. Through the reading of the writings of Peter Damian, Anselm of Canterbury, and Aelred of Rievaulx, I propose a panorama of sexual experiences at the time, which varied from greater to lesser repression. The analysis covers both the sexual and affective aspects of experiences and theological constructions of these authors. The dissertation focuses on homosexuality, both as we conceive it as a sexual orientation and due to the predominance of males in monastic environments. Since the 1990s, queer theory has proposed a reading of sexuality that goes beyond heterosexuality, exploring other forms of sexual experiences to break with the normativity imposed on the Middle Ages. However, by transforming the history of homosexuality into a story exclusively about sex between men, this theory neglects the affective dimension of sexuality. Thus, we propose an analysis that considers both the sexual and affective dimensions, resulting in a history of homosexuality in the Middle Ages that encompasses all forms of homosexuality as we understand them today (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 21/06226-7 - Homosexuality and Society during the Reformation of the Medieval Church (1050-1102)
• Grantee: Arthur Rocha Martins Rodrigues Teixeira
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master