Teaching Gender, The British University and the Rise of Heterosexuality, 1860–1939

Q: What does this research mean for the field?

Mixed-sex universities in Scotland and England between 1860 and 1939 acted as incubators for the rise and normalization of heterosexuality. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.NOVEL_FINDING. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

Seth Koven

doi:10.1080/09612025.2026.2708543

September 8, 2026Women s History Review

Teaching Gender, The British University and the Rise of Heterosexuality, 1860–1939

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Key Points

Investigate how mixed-sex universities in Scotland and England functioned as institutional incubators for the emergence and consolidation of modern heterosexual norms between 1860 and 1939.
Conducted a historical and archival analysis of coeducational higher education institutions across England and Scotland spanning 1860 to 1939.
Examined institutional policies, student culture, and social environments through a queer history and gender studies framework.
Mixed-sex university environments in Britain directly facilitated and legitimized emerging heterosexual courtship patterns and cultural norms.
Institutional structures and peer cultures operated collaboratively to define normative gender roles and promote heterosexual socialization among students.

Implication

Historical analysis reveals how mixed-sex British universities fostered heterosexual norms between 1860 and 1939, highlighting higher education's role in institutionalizing modern sexual identities.

Abstract

Teaching Gender, The British University and the Rise of Heterosexuality, 1860–1939 is a queer history of how and why mixed sex universities in Scotland and England became incubators for straight so...

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Cite This Study

Seth Koven (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6aa27ad858559d80afc73bf5 https://doi.org/10.1080/09612025.2026.2708543

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Teaching Gender, The British University and the Rise of Heterosexuality, 1860–1939

Key Points

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

Teaching Gender, The British University and the Rise of Heterosexuality, 1860–1939

Key Points

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

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