Citizens & Sodomites : Perception and Persecution of Sodomy / Jonas Roelens

J. Roelens

Up until now, in contrast with many other European regions, there has not been a study that has systematically analyzed the repression and perception of sodomy in the Southern Netherlands. This research has two central objectives: to quantify the actual persecution of sodomy by using quantitative methods, and to contextualize the urban perception of that persecution through qualitative methods. The first part of this study outlines the discursive framework on sodomy in the late medieval and early modern Southern Netherlands. Through a wide range of narrative sources, it becomes clear that the religious discourse about these 'unnatural acts' was predominant in the region. The biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah was used in theological tracts, devotional lay texts, songs and the like to condemn these deviant sexual acts. These texts also advocated silence regarding the so-called 'unmentionable vice'. Similar attitudes were present in legal discourse as well. For example, in the writings of many important jurists in the region sodomy was not just a crime, but a sin as well. Religious condemnations of these sexual acts were also emphasized in popular discourse and the visual arts. This discursive framework provided an optimal breeding ground for a severe repression of sodomy in the region. The second part of this study examines this repression actuallly took place at an urban level.