Einleitung Sexualitäten im Mittelalter

Abstract

The introduction offers a critical reflection on the historical study of sexuality in the medieval period, emphasising its conceptual complexity and methodological challenges. Drawing on key theoretical frameworks, a pluralistic approach is advocated that views sexuality as a dynamic field of social, cultural, and symbolic practices rather than as a fixed category of identity. Medieval ‘sexualities’ emerge as multifaceted phenomena, shaped by intersecting discourses of medicine, theology, law, literature, and visual culture. The volume adopts an interdisciplinary methodology, acknowledging the absence of direct medieval equivalents for the modern concept of ‘sexuality.’ Therefore, its contributions investigate how norms and transgressions, fantasies and corporeal practices were negotiated in various medieval contexts, with particular attention to power structures, gender hierarchies, and other normative forces. This nuanced understanding resists simplification, highlighting the fluid and contested meanings attached to sex, desire, and the body in medieval societies.