Countercultural Libido: A History of 'Perversion'

Bureau of Lost Culture

Warning: this episode contains discussions of sexual and other adult themes.

Julie Peakman is a historian of eighteenth-century culture who specialises in the study sexuality and pornography.

She is the author of 'Sexual Perversions, 1670-1890', 'Whore Biographies 1700-1825', The Development of Pornography in 18thC England' and many other books.

She came to the Bureau to discuss her latest: 'The Pleasure's All Mine - A History of Perverse Sex' which contains many affecting stories of how benign sexual difference has, in the past, lead to what we would now perceive as unjust and brutal persecution.

'Perversion' has been defined as 'showing a deliberate and obstinate desire to behave in a way that is unreasonable or unacceptable' or 'contrary to the accepted or expected standard or practice' - rather like 'counterculture'.

It has at different times included masturbation, male and female homosexuality, cross-dressing, bestiality, sadomasochism, necrophilia, incest, exhibitionism, voyeurism, fetishism, even straight-up vanilla heterosexual sex in certain circumstances.

Julie's conviction is that the very word and concept of 'perversion' has reached its expiry date - we discuss.

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