How to Do the History of Homosexuality
Very few academics have so changed a discipline that they can  claim to demonstrate how to get it right, but Halperin (W.H.  Auden Collegiate Professor, English, Univ. of Michigan) is one  such scholar. This new collection of revised, previously  published essays is not a "how to" but a demonstration of  practice. Halperin's One Hundred Years of Homosexuality was a  landmark for its nuanced interpretation of ancient Greek  homosexuality that went beyond social  constructionist/essentialist dichotomies. Here he takes his  theoretical explanations further by arguing, among other things,  that there are "genealogies" of homosexuality that show  continuities over time and space. These, he claims, are what  need to be studied and explained, and he cites examples that  cover a wide berth in European history and culture. The sections  on this topic are the most accessible to a general readership.  The last chapter and the appendix are both part of a larger  debate on the viability of distinctions between types of  homosexuality and whether there is any point to such a debate.  The primary audience for this book will be academics, who will  be amply rewarded by its insights. Recommended for academic  libraries.David S. Azzolina, Univ. of Pennsylvania Lib.,  PhiladelphiaCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.