The emergence of sexuality: historical epistemology and the formation of concepts

height of Stalin's repressive policies. The increased persecution of homosexuals following de-Stalinization is also puzzling given the generally more liberal climate that existed in the country under Khrushchev. As the author himself recognizes, much work still needs to be done to further our understanding of sexual politics and the treatment of sexual dissent in the Soviet Union, as well as their implications for understanding Soviet experience in general. For example, if one can accept, with some reservations, the author's arguments about the reasons for decriminalizing homosexuality under the early Soviet regime (this reader at least was not entirely convinced by the author's use of evidence related to the German Social Democratic Party to illustrate the attitudes towards homosexuality among the Bolsheviks; or by his inferences about Lenin's views on the subject based on his writings), it is harder to accept his argument that the recriminalization of homosexuality under Stalin was motivated by the need for "a marshaling ofresources into a narrow range of endeavors" (p. 171). One also wonders why Stalin abandoned modem approaches towards homosexuality while pursuing an aggressive policy of modernization in many other spheres. However, these and some other reservations do not diminish the overall positive impression of the book. It will be a welcome addition to a variety of graduate and advanced undergraduate courses on the history of gender, sexuality, and, of course, Soviet Russia.