The Homoerotics of Orientalism

by Joseph Allen Boone

One of the largely untold stories of Orientalism is the degree to which the Middle East has been associated with "deviant" male homosexuality by scores of Western travelers, historians, writers, and artists for well over four hundred years. And this story stands to shatter our preconceptions of Orientalism.

To illuminate why and how the Islamicate world became the locus for such fantasies and desires, Boone deploys a supple mode of analysis that reveals how the cultural exchanges between Middle East and West have always been reciprocal and often mutual, amatory as well as bellicose. Whether examining European accounts of Istanbul and Egypt as hotbeds of forbidden desire, juxtaposing Ottoman homoerotic genres and their European imitators, or unlocking the homoerotic encoding in Persian miniatures and Orientalist paintings, this remarkable study models an ethics of crosscultural reading that exposes, with nuance and economy, the crucial role played by the homoerotics of Orientalism in shaping the world as we know it today.

A contribution to studies in visual culture as well as literary and social history, The Homoerotics of Orientalism draws on primary sources ranging from untranslated Middle Eastern manuscripts and European belles-lettres to miniature paintings and photographic erotica that are presented here for the first time.

Genres: Queer, Nonfiction, History, Theory, LGBT, Literary Criticism, Sexuality

486 pages, Hardcover

First published February 25, 2014

Reviews

[Andrew H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every now and again a work of wide ranging criticism comes along that breaks new ground. This is one of them. Boone takes in western and middle eastern cultures, past and present, and aligns a thorough historical knowledge with aesthetics-- painting, film, poetry and novels.

Reviews generally relate this book to the works of Edward Said's Orientalism and the comparison is wholly justified. Boone's book, however, as the term "Homoerotics" suggests, is much more sharply focused. What I really enjoyed about Boone's writing was his ability to touch upon edgy subjects without flinching or being salacious. Yes, this is an academic book, even so it is one that is full of insights and perspectives.

Another strength of the book is how thoroughly it has been thought through. Illustrations are well referenced and they are not just pictures, as in some works: they are part of the argument, which circles back to an earlier point. Boone is at home with Arabic poetry from the Ottoman empire as he is with Pasolini and modern Oriental painters.

A wonderful work of imagination that shows how academic writing can sparkle.

[C. B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A deeply fascinating book. Boone explores such an astonishing range of sources in his examination of the homoerotic aspects of Orientalism. I adored the parts of the book that dealt with specific writers and their relationships to Egypt. The homoerotic undertones of Flaubert’s heterosexual conquests; André Gide’s frank and slightly melancholic diaries, which document his search for sex in Cairo and Luxor; and Norman Mailer’s perfectly ridiculous sounding Ancient Evenings, a wild homoerotic fantasy facilitated by its setting in ancient Egypt. I also found the discussion of the erotic photography of Wilhelm von Gloeden and Rudolf Franz Lehnert enthralling. The book weaves seamlessly between textual and visual sources. And I’m afraid… I really can’t do it justice! There is just so much in this book that excites and interests. Boone doesn’t simply take aim and damn all Orientalist art and ideas; he is keen to compare and contrast the “Western” perceptions of the “East” with the reality, and through a contrapuntal examination of Western and Eastern sources shows that the relationship between these is perhaps much more nuanced than is sometimes portrayed. A balanced and masterful book that will play on my mind for some time.

[Iñaki Tofiño · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked all the case studies very much and also the fact that he mixes European examples of Orientalism (the usual suspects -Flaubert, Loti or Burton- as well as lesser known authors) with Ottoman, Persian and Middle Eastern authors. If I am not mistaken, his point is that the homoerotic European Orientalising gaze somehow followed local homoerotic traditions, discarded when Islamicate communities have tried to enter European-style modernity; however, I think that he could have explained it better. The accumulation of case studies is not always easy to follow.
In any case, a very enlightening and interesting reading.

[Atticus Boone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Professor Boone is certainly one of the great authors of his field. His work brilliantly explores themes of gender and sexuality, along with their geopolitical impacts. The Homoerotics of Orientalism is inviting and interesting to curious readers who are newcomers to the field, but detailed enough to shed new light on the topic and share fascinating, educated viewpoints and analysis to scholars. Certainly one of the most exciting new(ish) books to those interested in gender and sexuality or oriental studies.

[Doğukan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Çok güzel kitap. Deli Birader, şehrengiz şairleri, Ebu Nuvas, Enderunlu'nun yanı sıra Reşad Ekrem Koçu, André Gide, Pasolini, Necib Mahfuz, Youssef Chahine, Pierre Loti gibi simalara da rastlayabiliyorsunuz. Oryantalizm tartışmalarının klasik kuramcıları da işin içinde tabii. Daha önemlisi -"Gönül Çelmenin Tarihi"nin malul olduğu- şu "artarda bir sürü örnek sıralama" hatasına düşmemiş. Maalesef özellikle bu tür metinlerde bir sürü bulguyu, seyahat notunu, şiiri, şunu-bunu yığmak, aralarda da teorik birkaç şey söylemek çok yaygın bir yazım tekniğine dönüştü. Hiç değilse hangi örneği "neden" verdiğini ve "niçin" sözün orasında zikrettiğini anlayabiliyorsunuz ki -kalabalık literatüre şöyle bir göz atınca- okur için küçümsenmeyecek bir kazanım. Bol bol görsel de kullanılmış, o yönüyle de keyifli bir kitap.

[Yui Nguyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-versed reading agenda on the history of queerness. Recommended to and not limited to aesthetes and media researchers. Don't skip the Preface!

[nutsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Long story short, everyone's gay and in denial.