Sex, Soldiers and the South Pacific, 1939-45

Yorick Smaal is ARC DECRA Research Fellow at Griffith University, Australia. He is an Australian social historian with particular interests in sex and gender, war and society, and law and criminal justice.

“Smaal’s monograph … fulfills the aims of the Palgrave Macmillan series, Genders and Sexualities in History to ‘accommodate and foster new approaches to historical studies in the field of genders and sexualities’ and to focus on ‘interconnected themes of genders, sexualities, religions/religiosity, civil society, class formations, politics and war’… . read his book, engage with the characters and ideas. You won’t be disappointed.” (Diane Bell, Honest History, honesthistory.net.au, March, 2016)“The study appears in a series on ‘Genders and Sexualities in History’ and one of its strengths is its subtle treatment of this relationship. Smaal establishes the significance of gender performance in ‘homosex’ during the 1940s. … This book is a valuable addition to the international literature on queer sexualities. … Smaal has produced an exemplary work of social, sexual, and gender history that also contributes to our understanding of the relationship of war and society.” (Frank Bongiorno, Social History, Vol. 41 (2), March, 2016)“The book is a great work and interesting for sexologists, ethnologists, and historians. A comprehensive literature list and index make it round.” (Florian Georg Mildenberger, Sexuality and Culture, Vol. 20, 2016)

• IntroductionPART I: THE SCRIPTS1. Bitch and Butch Men2. Queer GeographiesPART II: THE SERVICES3. Men in Uniform4. Confused CommandersPART III: THE STATE5. Preoccupied Policemen6. Disoriented DoctorsEpilogue