Variations on a Common Theme?

A number of the articles in this volume are informed by post-structuralist ideas and emphasize flexible, shifting, and almost individualistic categories.1 This contrasts with a more established mode of inquiry that attempts to identify patterns of behavior and social regularities. In his book, Queer Theory/Sociology, Steven Seidman (1996) makes a plea for the integration of the two perspectives, and while this volume may not achieve that ambitious goal, both are represented.2 This article considers some of the categories of homosexuality that have been identified in the cross-cultural literature, as well as the largely structural explanations for the rise of gay identity and community.

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