History of Celibacy

What did Queen Elizabeth I gain from being thought of as celibate? Why was property so essential to the Christian church embracing celibacy? And what's really behind the 'No Nut November' movement?


In today's episode, Kate's joined by Elisa Sobo, Professor of Anthropology at San Diego State University, and Sandra Bell of Durham University, to take a look at those of us today and throughout history who have chosen to abstain from sex.


Together, they edited Celibacy, Culture, And Society: Anthropology Of Sexual Abstinence, and you can read more on the subject of celibacy in Elisa's book Dynamics of Biocultural Diversity.


This episode was edited by Tom Delargy. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.


All music from Epidemic Sounds/All3 Media.


Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener survey here.


Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Avsnitt(407)

Inside Europe's Biggest Red Light District

Inside Europe's Biggest Red Light District

Between 1860 and 1925, tens of thousands of women worked in Dublin's Monto, the largest red light district in Europe.It was a world of narrow alleyways full of brothels busy with sex workers, at a tim...

21 Feb 202551min

The Dark History of BMI & Fatphobia

The Dark History of BMI & Fatphobia

Dark ideas and stigma around different body sizes really took hold in the Enlightenment.Very unenlightened, if you ask us.This started all sorts of awful movements, and one result was BMI - or Body Ma...

18 Feb 202546min

Inside the Magdalene Laundries

Inside the Magdalene Laundries

Societies all throughout history have tried to control female sexuality.Ireland's Magdalene Laundries and Mother and Baby Homes are two examples of this, where women were imprisoned against their will...

14 Feb 202549min

Valentine's Day in Ancient Rome

Valentine's Day in Ancient Rome

What are the origins of Valentine's Day?Perhaps the answer lies in a pagan festival that starts with a sacrifice in a cave above Ancient Rome.What connects the naked running through the streets of Rom...

11 Feb 202533min

Goat Testicle Transplants: The Bizarre History

Goat Testicle Transplants: The Bizarre History

Quack doctors have made some INCREDIBLE promises throughout history, but what good would a goat testicle transplant do for you?In the early 20th century, John R. Brinkley became a sensation for - you ...

7 Feb 202539min

Sex Lives of Spartans

Sex Lives of Spartans

When you hear the word Sparta, what do you picture?Well, put aside the images of the rippling six packs for just a moment, as there's a lot more to this workout-obsessed state of the ancient world tha...

4 Feb 202545min

Genghis Khan's Sex Life

Genghis Khan's Sex Life

As historical figures go, Genghis Khan has something of a reputation.Is there any truth to the rumours of him fathering so many children? What was life like in 12th century Mongolia? And how did he cr...

31 Jan 202539min

Who Was Lilith? The Semen-Stealing First Wife Of Adam

Who Was Lilith? The Semen-Stealing First Wife Of Adam

Lilith's story goes back 4,000 years, and she's still making an impact today.She takes on different forms, depending on where you're looking, but a popular one was that she was the first wife of Adam,...

28 Jan 202544min

Populärt inom Historia

massmordarpodden
p3-historia
historiska-brott
kod-katastrof
motiv
olosta-mord
historiepodden-se
rss-historien-om
rss-seriemordarpodden
historianu-med-urban-lindstedt
rss-brottsligt
rss-massmordarpodden
krigshistoriepodden
rss-historiska-brottslingar
harrisons-dramatiska-historia
militarhistoriepodden
rss-arkiv-stieg
nu-blir-det-historia
palmemordet
rss-borgvattnets-hemligheter