Nemocí ke svobodě? : případ ženské homosexuality v Praze v letech 1942–1945

Abstract

The study focuses on the analysis of the criminal case of female homosexuality in Prague in 1942–1945, on which it presents the approach to the female body in the first half of the 20th century and the interconnection of medical disciplines that produced discourses on sexuality and gender. Women associated with homosexuality have been diagnosed with a number of associated diseases. In the reviews, we encounter concepts such as hysteria, intersexuality, narcissism and more. The doctors drew on the testimonies of the women themselves to assess their mental state, as well as the modest number of surviving love letters that the defendants sent to each other. How important was the role of doctors in criminal proceedings in assessing female homosexuality? What impact did the debated theoretical debates have on the criminal case in practice? For these reasons, the study focuses not only on the case itself, but also on the analysis of individual diseases that were closely related to homosexuality according to contemporary theories. It also focuses on medical literature, dictionaries and other sources. Within the case, a correlation is also observed with the described method on discourses, introduced by Michel Foucault.