Introduction -- Colonizing America: The first new world -- Discovering Oceania: 'The new Cythera' -- Into Africa: 'The dark continent' -- Post-colonial America: Finding Freedonia -- Glory of India: The Mughal Empire to the British Raj -- The Ottoman Empire: 'The sublime state' -- China: 'Tiger of the East' -- Japan: 'Land of the rising sun' -- Conclusion: Final thoughts on sex, religion and empire -- Epilogue: Further theories of colonization -- References -- Bibliography -- Acknowledgements -- Photo Acknowledgements -- Index.
Summary:
"Licentious Worlds is a history of sexual attitudes and behaviour through five hundred years of empire-building around the world. In a graphic and sometimes unsettling account, Julie Peakman examines colonization and the imperial experience puttting women back in the picture, showing their role in the building of empires, but also how marginalized men and women were almost invariably exploited. Women acted as negotiators, brothel-keepers, traders and peacekeepers, but they were also oppressed, forced into marriages and raped. The book describes daily life in Turkish harems, Mughal zenanas and Japanese geisha houses, as well as in royal palaces, private households and on board ships. The stories are drawn from many sources -- from captains' logs, missionary reports and cannibals' memoirs to travellers' letters, traders' accounts and reports on prostitution. From debauched clerics and hog-sodomizing Pilgrims to sexually fluid cannibals and homosexual samurai, Licentious Worlds takes history where it has never been before"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.