Il potenziale emancipatore della medicalizzazione delle relazioni omosessuali nel Secondo Reich

Abstract

The paper revisits the interpretation that presents the medicalization of homosexual acts in the 19th and early 20th century as a mere tool of repression. Examining the case of the German Empire, it shows how contemporary concepts of homosexuality could also be used to legitimize demands not only by homosexuals, but also by the movement for women’s rights. It explains from a comparative European perspective how specific circumstances in Germany catalysed the emancipatory potentials of such concepts. The second part focuses on the characteristics of this development in Germany as well as on its limits.

Keywords

• german empire
• homosexual rights movement
• homosexuality
• medicalization
• the women’s movement