What does it mean to live a queer life in a society that constantly monitors, regulates, and seeks to suppress non-conforming identities? This question lay at the heart of the workshop bringing together leading scholars of queer history, urban studies, literature, art, and state socialism, that sought to uncover the hidden, yet vibrant, queer subcultures that flourished in the shadows of socialist cities across Central and Eastern Europe.
The event explored how state surveillance, public space, and cultural production shaped queer lives under socialism. Was the queerness lived in these regimes fundamentally different from that in the West? And how did the peculiarities of socialist modernity both create and constrain the possibilities for queer identities? These guiding questions were examined through a series of interdisciplinary panels, each delving into different aspects of queer life and urban marginality under socialist rule.
The event commenced with a keynote by DAN HEALEY (Oxford) drawing on Milan Kundera’s 1984 novel. Healey posed the crucial question of whether queerness was experienced differently in Central and East-Central Europe compared to Western countries. Using historical and cultural examples, he explored the paradoxical nature of socialist modernity, which, at times, allowed certain forms of queerness to exist within the public sphere, while at other moments forced queer lives underground. Healey’s address set the tone for the workshop, emphasizing the importance of understanding how queerness operated within socialist systems that oscillated between tolerance and repression.
The first panel explored how literature served as a medium for expressing and negotiating queer identities within socialist societies. MARTYNA MIERNECKA (Warsaw) discussed the intersection of queer ecology and urban decay in the works of Polish writer Miron Białoszewski. Her presentation highlighted how Białoszewski’s diaries from the 1970s, particularly his reflections on suburban Warsaw, depicted queer life as intimately connected to wastelands and marginal spaces. By linking queer desire to urban decay and ecological loss, Miernecka framed Białoszewski’s work as a critique of the binary categories that shaped both sexual and environmental discourses under socialism.
KATA BENEDEK (Berlin) presented on György Moldova’s „Life is a Sin“, a popular literary work from late-socialist Hungary. Through a detailed analysis of Moldova’s depiction of queer nightlife in Budapest, Benedek examined how homosexuality was intertwined with criminality and transgression in public spaces. Moldova’s characters navigated the city’s industrial areas, cruising spots, and clandestine cafés, creating a portrait of queer existence at the intersection of legality and social marginalization.
NATALIJA STEPANOVIĆ (London) focused on queer identities in Yugoslav literature, particularly exploring how discourses around masculinity and sexuality were framed in the context of political upheaval and cultural resistance. Her analysis emphasized the importance of oral histories and cultural representations in understanding how queer individuals navigated the shifting political landscapes of Yugoslavia in the 1980s.
The second panel shifted focus to the lived experiences of gender nonconformity under state socialism. MARIE KOVAL (Prague) delved into the experiences of female political prisoners in socialist Czechoslovakia, revealing how queer relationships were formed in the hyper-regulated environment of women’s prisons. Koval’s presentation showed how these women navigated both assumed heterosexuality and institutional homophobia, creating intimate „queer microworlds“ amidst a backdrop of state repression.
LADISLAV JACKSON (Brno) added a spatial dimension to the discussion by exploring how queer spaces were negotiated under state socialism. His presentation highlighted the significance of public and semi-private spaces – such as parks, bathhouses, and cafés – as sites of both queer socialization and state surveillance. By drawing on visual material and personal testimonies, Jackson painted a nuanced picture of how urban and rural spaces facilitated or restricted queer expression.
In the following panel, JAROMÍR MRŇKA (Prague) presented his research on the surveillance of homosexuality in 1980s Prague. Although homosexuality was decriminalized in Czechoslovakia in 1961, Mrňka’s analysis revealed that homosexual individuals remained targets of state surveillance, particularly in urban nightlife spaces frequented by marginalized groups. His work illuminated how queer individuals were forced to negotiate their identities within the broader context of state repression and public suspicion. MAGDA WLOSTOWSKA (Leipzig) built on these themes by examining the development of gay and lesbian activism in Poland. Her presentation highlighted how queer activists carved out spaces for themselves in the Polish People’s Republic, despite the state’s ambivalent attitude towards LGBTQ+ communities.
The fourth panel focused on the role of print culture in fostering queer activism across socialist Europe. TERY ŽEŽELJ (Nova Gorica) and DARKO ILIN (Nova Gorica) discussed the significance of gayzines (queer magazines) in Ljubljana, Slovenia, during the 1980s. They explored how these magazines operated at the intersection of public and private life, providing a platform for political consciousness and community-building while evading direct state censorship. MADELINE ADAMS (Chicago) added to this discussion by examining the transnational postal networks that connected lesbian activists across East Germany and Poland, showing how the circulation of letters fostered intimate cross-border relationships that transcended the constraints of state socialism.
On the final day, participants engaged in a brainstorming session focused on future research directions and a potential edited volume. The discussions underscored the need for interdisciplinary approaches to studying queer life under socialism, with a particular emphasis on the spatial and temporal dimensions of queer existence. Themes of marginality, surveillance, and resistance were recurrent, with participants reflecting on how socialist regimes shaped not only the visibility of queer individuals but also the spaces they inhabited.
The very last panel offered further insights into how urban spaces facilitated queer life. CHRISTIANE BRENNER (Munich) presented her research on prostitution and surveillance in Czechoslovakia’s Interhotels, examining how the state regulated sexual interactions within these spaces while maintaining a veneer of socialist morality. Brenner’s analysis revealed the contradictions inherent in the socialist state’s approach to sexuality, where queer and heterosexual behaviors were simultaneously surveilled and exploited. FRANKO DOTA (Zagreb) explored the criminalization of male homosexuality in Yugoslavia, showing how police files documented the lives of queer individuals, often depicting them as threats to public morality and the socialist order.
The workshop provided a multifaceted examination of queer life under European state socialism, illuminating the complex interplay between urban spaces, state surveillance, and marginal sexual identities. The discussions made clear that while queer life was often forced into the shadows, it continued to thrive in the underworlds of socialist cities. As the participants reflected on the connections between queerness, space, and power, the workshop highlighted the importance of studying these hidden histories to better understand the legacies of state socialism on contemporary LGBTQ+ rights and activism.
The exploration of queer urban underworlds in European state socialism has revealed not only the richness of the subject but also the potential for groundbreaking scholarship. The workshop brought together an exceptional group of researchers, each contributing unique insights into the intersections of queerness, space, and state power. One of the most rewarding outcomes of the event has been the formation of a dynamic working group dedicated to further exploring the concept of queer underworlds. Our shared commitment to advancing this research will culminate in a collective monograph, which will expand on the ideas discussed during the workshop. This project promises to contribute significantly to both queer studies and the historiography of state socialism. The collaboration will yield important new perspectives on the often-overlooked lives and spaces of queer individuals under socialist regimes.
Conference overview:
Panel 1: Literary Representations and Social Commentary
Discussant: Thomas Heise (Abington)
Martyna Miernecka (Warsaw): The Economics of Wastelands in Miron Białoszewski‘s 1970s Diary Entries from the Perspective of Queer Ecology
Kata Benedek (Berlin): György Moldova – Life is Sin… Roma Crime! Queer Crime? A Literary Addition to Late-Socialist Hungarian Urban Queer Lives
Natalija Stepanović (London): The Other Yugoslavs
Keynote Address
Dan Healey (Oxford): The Unbearable Lightness of Being Queer in State Socialism
Panel 2: Gender Queerness and Everyday Life
Discussant: Mark Cornwall (Southampton)
Marie Koval (Prague): ‚Your Eternally Hungry Heart.‘ Gender Expression, Resistance, and Prison Culture of Women Political Prisoners in Socialist Czechoslovakia (1948–1968)
Ladislav Jackson (Brno): „Behind Stalin There Were Bushes Where There Used to Be Dark“ – Negotiating Queer Spaces under State Socialism in Czechoslovakia
Panel 3: Mapping Queer Histories and Identities
Discussant: Kateřina Kolářová (Prague)
Jaromír Mrňka (Prague): Negotiating Boundaries – Homosexuality, Surveillance, and Urban Life in 1980s Prague
Magda Wlostowska (Leipzig): Creating Spaces for Gay and Lesbian Activism within the Polish People‘s Republic
Panel 4: Print Culture and Activism
Discussant: Anna Dobrowolska (Warsaw)
Tery Žeželj (Nova Gorica) / Darko Ilin (Nova Gorica): „I Am All Up for Free Male Love“ – Blueprints of Ljubljana‘s Queer Underworlds in the (maga)zines Viks Gayzine Revolver and Kekec
Madeline Adams (Chicago): Transnational Networking in East German LGBTQ Communities (1982–1998)
Panel 5: Subversive Urban Cultures and State Interference
Discussant: Kate Davison (Edinburgh)
Christiane Brenner (Munich): Scripting Sex as a Means of Investigation – Foreigners, Prostitution, and the Imagination of State Security in Czechoslovak Interhotels
Franko Dota (Zagreb): Yugoslav Queer Voices – The „Queen“ and Her World