Sapphistries
Leila J. Rupp
A Global History of Love Between Women
Sapphistries is a global history of women's love, desire and sexual relationships with other women, ranging from ancient societies through to the contemporary world. Rather than treating lesbian history as something that began with the modern lesbian identity, Rupp looks at the many different ways women have formed intimate relationships across cultures and periods.
Rupp deliberately uses "Sapphistries" as a broader term than "lesbian history", because historical women did not necessarily understand or describe themselves using the modern category of lesbian.
This is a particularly useful book because it provides evidence that love and desire between women have existed across cultures and throughout recorded history, while also showing how the language and social meaning surrounding those relationships have changed.
