Thomas Laqueur

Thomas Laqueur is an American historian and professor emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, specializing in cultural history and the history of sexuality. His most influential work, "Making Sex: Body and Gender from the Greeks to Freud" (1990), transformed scholarly understanding of how gender and biological sex have been conceptualized throughout history. Laqueur's research challenged the conventional view that biological sex differences were always understood as fundamental and binary. His "one-sex/two-sex" model demonstrated how pre-Enlightenment medicine viewed female bodies as imperfect versions of male bodies, rather than as fundamentally different. "The Work of the Dead: A Cultural History of Mortal Remains" (2015) represents another major contribution to cultural history, examining how different societies have treated human remains and created meaning around death. His work spans multiple disciplines, including medicine, literature, and anthropology. Laqueur has received numerous academic honors, including fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities. His scholarship continues to influence fields ranging from gender studies and medical history to anthropology and cultural theory.

Readers consistently note Laqueur's dense academic writing style, with many finding his works challenging but rewarding. Several reviewers mention needing to re-read passages multiple times to grasp complex arguments. Readers appreciate: - Thorough research and extensive primary sources - Fresh perspectives on historical understandings of gender and death - Clear organization of complex historical developments - Cross-disciplinary approach combining medicine, culture, and philosophy Common criticisms: - Heavy academic prose that can be difficult to follow - Sometimes repetitive arguments - Assumes significant background knowledge - Limited accessibility for general readers Ratings across platforms: Goodreads: "Making Sex" - 4.0/5 (300+ ratings) "The Work of the Dead" - 4.1/5 (150+ ratings) Amazon: "Making Sex" - 4.2/5 (40+ reviews) "The Work of the Dead" - 4.4/5 (20+ reviews) One reader noted: "Brilliant ideas buried in unnecessarily complex language." Another commented: "Worth the effort, but requires serious concentration."

Making Sex: Body and Gender from the Greeks to Freud (1990) Historical examination of how Western science and culture understood anatomical sex differences from ancient Greece through the early modern period.

Solitary Sex: A Cultural History of Masturbation (2003) Analysis of how masturbation became a moral and medical concern in the 18th century and its subsequent cultural impact.

The Work of the Dead: A Cultural History of Mortal Remains (2015) Study of how different cultures and time periods have treated human remains and created meaning around death practices.

Religion and Respectability: Sunday Schools and Working Class Culture (1976) Investigation of Sunday schools in Victorian England and their role in working-class education and social development.

Making Sex: An Anthology of Medical and Scientific Studies of Sexuality (1989) Collection of historical medical and scientific writings about sexuality from antiquity to modern times.

Why Care About the Past? (2023) Exploration of how and why humans maintain connections to history and create meaning from past events.

Michel Foucault approaches history through the lens of power, sexuality, and social institutions, similar to Laqueur's exploration of cultural constructions of the body. His work examines how medicine and science shape human understanding across different time periods.

Roy Porter focuses on medical and social history in Britain, with deep analysis of how society viewed health and the human body. His research on the history of psychiatry and patient experiences parallels Laqueur's interest in how medical knowledge affects cultural beliefs.

Barbara Duden investigates historical perceptions of the body and gender through detailed examination of primary sources and medical texts. She shares Laqueur's focus on how scientific understanding shapes cultural experiences of embodiment.

Judith Butler examines gender as a social construct and explores how bodies become culturally intelligible through various discourses. Her theoretical framework complements Laqueur's historical analysis of sex and gender systems.

Sander Gilman writes about the intersection of medicine, culture, and representation in history, particularly regarding the body and disease. His work on medical history and cultural stereotypes shares methodological approaches with Laqueur's historical investigations.