The dictionary of homophobia : a global history of gay & lesbian experience /

This first English translation of the 2003 Dictionnaire de l'Homophobie, edited by a French gay intellectual and activist, presents a thoughtful consideration of the global condition of gays and lesbians in the intellectual tradition of the classical French encyclopedists, offering an "overview of the problematics associated with homophobia." Subjects covered by the 165 essays fall into five general areas--theories used to justify homophobic attitudes and actions; agents of homophobia and their victims throughout history; individual nations and geographic regions (the United States and Canada are both discussed under "North America"); institutions and environments where homophobia is manifested (such as schools and the workplace); and topics frequently employed in antigay rhetoric. Entries represent the work of 70 contributors (many with French academic training) from 15 nations in both hemispheres, and include bibliographic citations to both print and online resources. The comparative (and often highly detailed) worldwide coverage is a valuable complement to other reference works in LGBT studies. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers; general readers. R. B. M. Ridinger Northern Illinois University