Sexual Metropolitans? Intercity Networks and Shared Cultures of Sexuality in Modern Cities

Presentation

After several decades of research, the history of sexuality has proved to be a good lens through which to observe the social and cultural implications of the processes of urbanisation that swept through Europe and the rest of the world between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Researchers have highlighted the role of large cities in the development of new forms of modern urban life and, particularly, in the emergence of new practices, notions, identities and common meanings related to intimacy, sexuality and affective relationships.

Historiography has shown how this urbanising process has generated important similarities between large cities located thousands of kilometres apart, although each had its own rhythms and particularities. As far as the field of the history of sexuality is concerned, although recent works are beginning to propose comparative/global/transnational analyses that seek to understand these similarities or common dynamics, research centred on a single city still prevails.

This session thus aims to bring together historians and other social scientists around a latent question in studies on urban history and the history of sexuality: the idea of a shared sexual culture between cities and urban centres, whose relations and links transcend the state or national framework. Beyond local specificities, is there a common substratum of shared practices, rituals, symbols, convictions or common meanings around sex and affective relations in modern metropolises? And if so, what role do circulations and networks connecting these cities play in the process?

Proposals that analyze the circulation of ideas, people and objects, as well as the degree to which these circulations constitute networks linking cities are particularly encouraged. The nineteenth and twentieth centuries will be specifically targeted, though proposals that challenge this chronological framework may be considered. Proposals that study connections between cities within or beyond Europe will be equally valuable to the discussion.

The session offers to address 5 axes:

1. The inter-city circulation of cultural references (dresscodes, visual cues, mannerisms) and productions (shows, performances, artforms) showcasing modern gender expressions and sexualities.

2. The connection between the development of urban leisure and sex tourism as a form of circulation connecting cities across borders.

3. The inter-city networks and circulation of sexual activists, and how the urban framework shapes their ideas, trajectories and militancy.

4. Inter-urban circulations linked to the sex market, whether from the point of view of sex providers (including forced or constrained displacements) or intermediaries (legal or illegal).

5. The circulation of sex-related products and artefacts (contraceptives, sex toys, etc.), and how merchants, companies and shopkeepers contribute to a connected urban material sexual culture.

Information

• Abstracts (450 words) are due by October 22, 2025, on the dedicated platform: 
  https://www.eauhbarcelona2026.eu/call-for-papers/.
• Presentations will be accompanied by a written paper of 3,000 to 6,000 words to be submitted in August 2026.