Male Homosexuality in Namibia
reflections from the history of sexuality in the (pre-)colonial era
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21530/ci.v19n2.2024.1427Keywords:
Homosexuality in Namibia, Criminalization of homosexuality, Sodomy Law, Race and Heterosexuality, Queer Theory of International RelationsAbstract
This article analyzed male homosexual relationships in pre-colonial Namibia, investigating how homosexuality was experienced during the pre-intrusion period and its historical evolution, including the debate on the current “Sodomy Law.” It is a qualitative study based on bibliographic and critical documental analysis, employing queer international relations methodology to explore homosexuality as a historical process. The study concludes
that the concepts of gender and sexuality among the pre-colonial peoples of the region differed significantly from contemporary Western understandings. Notably, the accounts of the Ovambo regarding omashengi challenge heteronormativity while reflecting social hierarchies of the pre-colonial period.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Leticia Sanches Rezende, Thaís Vieira, Bárbara Lopes Campos

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