Queer Japan and Beyond

This seminar investigates cultural practices enacted by Japanese gays and lesbians, or otherwise related to same-sex attraction. How have sexual identities traditionally been constructed in Japan, and how has the modern period transformed them? How has same-sex sexuality become figured in the Japanese art, literature and popular culture of the 20th century; and how have the forces of a global LGBT culture interacted with the specific experiences of a same-sex community in Japan? This class explores questions about queer history, writing and cultural practice by looking at particular moments in the Japanese past and present.