Sexual Encounters

Exploring male homoerotic fantasies in the context of South Sea exploration, this book delves into 18th- and 19th-century voyage journals, including those of Captain Cook and Russian expeditions. Wallace employs queer theory, anthropology, and postcolonial studies to analyze the interplay between Western and Pacific sexual identities, particularly through Gauguin's art and Samoan transgenderism. By examining these dynamics, she highlights the significant role of the Pacific in shaping modern sexual categories and the complex relationships between indigenous and metropolitan sexual regimes.