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This is the first in-depth study of female same-sex desire in 20thcentury Australia, and it explores the compelling stories of ordinary women who struggled to build lives and express their love for other women in a hostile society. Focusing on Sydney and country NSW from 1930 to1978, it traces the development of lesbian culture, identities and gathering places from the interwar years to the first Mardi Gras. Drawing on extensive oral history interviews conducted by the author, and archival research, this book offers fascinating new insights into the social and cultural history of Australian lesbians.
Rebecca Jennings is at the Department of Modern History at Macquarie University. She has published widely on Australian and British lesbian history and is the author of ''Tomboys and Bachelor Girls: a Lesbian History of Post-War Britain, 1945-71'' and ''A Lesbian History of Britain: Love and Sex Between Women since 1500''.
‘Elegantly written, ''Unnamed Desires'' is theoretically sophisticated without resorting to jargon … [Jennings] tells stories of sadness and persecution, but also accounts of bravery, ingenuity and fun … It is a very welcome and important addition to the scholarship on sexuality in Australian history.’ — Jill Julius Matthews
Paperback, 200 Pages, Published July 2015
Author: Rebecca Jennings