Essentialising Sex: Hermaphrodites and the Thresholds of Masculinity and Femininity in the Early Modern Catholic Church <i>c</i>.1700

This article focuses on four individuals from France and Italy who were viewed as hermaphrodites their attempts to become members of the Catholic clergy between c.1650 1720. Drawing largely unexplored material archive Roman Congregation Council, this argues that whether, how, bodies problematised hermaphroditic depended different changing thresholds masculinity femininity they confronted with. Offering a fresh perspective practices constructing sex difference, suggests decades c.1700 saw marked transformations in defining assigning both theory social practice. Medical ecclesiastical decision-makers shifted attention broader spectrum behavioural bodily signs anatomy genitalia. The trend towards heightened vigilance intransigence perceived sexual ambiguity was, however, highly asymmetrical, targeting mainly initially believed be women.