Sodomites, Pederasts, and Tribades in Eighteenth-Century France

Sodomites, Pederasts, and Tribades in Eighteenth-Century France, Volume 1, is a scholarly examination of same-sex populations in Enlightenment-era Paris. This work of history and sociology utilizes a vast array of primary-source documents to illustrate the visibility of male and female same-sex relations. By analyzing archival police records and contemporary treatises, the text reveals how the French state managed sodomy, pederasty, and tribadism through surveillance and repression.

This volume of legal history and LGBTQ+ studies provides translated and annotated sources, including police records and Enlightenment-era libelles. These documents show the robustness of the Parisian same-sex subculture and the widespread nature of legal policing during the 18th century. The research offers a foundational look at the social science and culture of modern Europe, focusing on how contemporaries understood sexuality within various social contexts.