A one-day symposium convened by Alison Oram (Leeds Beckett University) and Rebecca Jennings (Macquarie University), hosted by the Menzies Centre for Australian Studies.

Lesbian history has been a field of inquiry connected to histories of sexuality and women’s studies for at least two decades. This symposium will explore how it has fared as an area of historical research across ‘the British World’: Australia, Britain, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa and elsewhere. How have colonial and postcolonial ties facilitated networks and shaped constructions and experiences of desire between women in similar ways?  To what extent have lesbian histories been told differently in specific local contexts?  At a point when equal citizenship rights and same-sex marriage are crucial issues of political debate, this symposium will provide a scholarly forum for a discussion of the varied histories of love between women across the British world.

It is hoped the symposium will establish research networks and a basis for further investigation and discussion.