View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by OpenGrey Repository University of Warwick institutional repository: http://go.warwick.ac.uk/wrap A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD at the University of Warwick http://go.warwick.ac.uk/wrap/835 This thesis is made available online and is protected by original copyright. Please scroll down to view the document itself. Please refer to the repository record for this item for information to help you to cite it. Our policy information is available from the repository home page. Queering Nazism or Nazi Queers? A Sociological Study of an Online Gay Nazi Fetish Group by Danny Beusch A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology University of Warwick, Department of Sociology August 2008 Table of Contents Acknowledgement ................................................................................................... 6 Declaration............................................................................................................... 7 Abstract.................................................................................................................... 8 Introduction............................................................................................................. 9 Why Study Nazi Fetishism? ..................................................................... 11 Chapter Outline......................................................................................... 22 Contextualising Online Gay Nazi Fetishism....................................................... 26 Sexual Fetishism........................................................................................ 27 Internet Sex/uality..................................................................................... 32 Online ‘Communities’ ..................................................................... 33 The Internet as a Sexual Utopia...................................................... 38 The Internet as Sexually Corrupting............................................... 43 The Internet and the Redefinition of ‘Sex’ ...................................... 44 Online and Offline Identities and Sexual Practice.......................... 46 The Embodiment of Gay Masculinities: Assimilation or Outrage? ..... 52 Fascism and Homosexuality..................................................................... 63 Conclusion.................................................................................................. 73 Queer(ing) Sociology? Theorising Sexual Identity and Practice ...................... 75 Constructing Sexual Identities................................................................. 77 Queer Theory and the Critique of Identity ............................................ 84 The Relationship between Queer Theory and Sociology....................... 87 Theorising Symbolic Appropriation........................................................ 99 Conclusion................................................................................................ 110 Let’s Talk about Sex: Researching Gay Nazi Fetishism.................................. 111 Safety and the Research Process............................................................ 113 Taking the First Steps: Examining GaySS............................................ 116 The Recruitment Process........................................................................ 119 The Sample .............................................................................................. 125 The Interview Dynamics......................................................................... 127 Let’s Talk about Sex ............................................................................... 128 Uncomfortable Differences..................................................................... 135 The Status of Online Research Data: Is it ‘Real’? ............................... 140 Analysing the Interview Data................................................................. 142 Conclusion................................................................................................ 145 Setting the Screen: Nazi Fetishism, Gay Men and the Internet...................... 147 Nazi Fetishism Online............................................................................. 148 2 Specific Nazi Fetish Websites and Groups ................................... 149 The Sex/Politics Distinction .......................................................... 157 GaySS ....................................................................................................... 160 Images of Nazism on GaySS.......................................................... 162 Nazi-Talk on GaySS ...................................................................... 172 General Fetish Sites ................................................................................ 179 Non-fetish Spaces: Fetishising ‘Authenticity’....................................... 181 Summary.................................................................................................. 188 Gay Nazi Fetishists’ Internet Use ...................................................................... 191 Why do Gay Nazi Fetishists use the Internet? ..................................... 192 Exploring Nazi Fetishism Offline.................................................. 192 Exploring Sexual Interests Online ................................................ 198 Political Motivations..................................................................... 201 How do Gay Nazi Fetishists use the Internet?...................................... 208 Finding ‘Like-Minded’ Men.......................................................... 208 Browsing and Posting ................................................................... 211 Photographs and Sexual Stimulation............................................ 213 Using the Internet for Cybersex .................................................... 214 Arranging Offline Sex ................................................................... 219 Regulation and Limitations Online ............................................... 225 Discussion................................................................................................. 227 Conclusion................................................................................................ 236 Gender Trouble? Masculinity, Identity and Sexual Practice ......................... 238 Negotiating Masculinities ....................................................................... 240 Securing Masculinity: (Dis)identifications ................................... 241 Securing Masculinity: Embodiment .............................................. 246 Eroticising Masculinity........................................................................... 250 Masculinity and Sexual Play .................................................................. 256 Sexual Dominance and Masculinity.............................................. 258 Sexual Submissiveness and Masculinity........................................ 260 Discussion................................................................................................. 268 Conclusion................................................................................................ 275 ‘It’s Not a Political Thing for Me – Just Sexual’: Negotiating the Boundaries between Sex and Politics..................................................................................... 276 Identifications with Far-Right Politics.................................................. 277 The Sex/Politics ‘Differentiation’ .......................................................... 284 History and the Sexual Allure of Nazism.............................................. 290 Alternative Worlds: Nazi Sexual Fantasies .......................................... 295 Fantasy and Sexual Pleasure........................................................ 297 Confronting/Avoiding History....................................................... 299 Discussion................................................................................................. 303 Conclusion................................................................................................ 311 Conclusion............................................................................................................ 313 3 Non-Normative Sexualities and the Internet ........................................ 313 The Relationship between Queer Theory and Sociology..................... 323 Recommendations for Further Research.............................................. 333 References ............................................................................................................ 336 Appendices........................................................................................................... 357 4 Tables and Illustrated Material Figure 1 ................................................................................................................. 154 Figure 2 ................................................................................................................. 160 Figure 3 ................................................................................................................. 162 Figure 4 ................................................................................................................. 163 Figure 5