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Same-Sex Desire and Young New Zealanders Before 1950

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Queer Youth Histories

Part of the book series: Genders and Sexualities in History ((GSX))

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Abstract

This chapter examines the development of queer youth cultures in New Zealand in the decades before 1950. It explores broad social patterns, international and local influences, and the intricacies of young people’s own experiences. By examining life stories and important societal changes, the chapter asks how meaning was negotiated at the level of the individual. The intimate opportunities available in the early years of colonisation grew alongside the processes of urbanisation, and although modern gay and lesbian identities solidified after the Second World War, their prehistory is full of ambiguous relationships and intimate possibilities. Young people’s stories reveal that the intimate present is built to a considerable degree upon the past.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sociology, Gender Studies and Criminology Programme, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

    Chris Brickell

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  1. Chris Brickell
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Correspondence to Chris Brickell .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Arts and Education, Deakin University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Daniel Marshall

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Brickell, C. (2021). Same-Sex Desire and Young New Zealanders Before 1950. In: Marshall, D. (eds) Queer Youth Histories. Genders and Sexualities in History. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-56550-1_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-56550-1_4

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-56549-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-56550-1

  • eBook Packages: HistoryHistory (R0)

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