USF St. Petersburg campus Honors Program Theses (Undergraduate)

First Advisor

Larissa Kopytoff, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Catherine Wilkins, Ph.D.

Publisher

University of South Florida St. Petersburg

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Date

2023

Date Issued

May 2023

Abstract

This thesis examines the historical and cultural meanings of the term eunuch and challenges its common definition as simply a castrated cisgender male. Through a comparative analysis of examples from ancient Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, Byzantium, Europe, and colonial India, the study demonstrates that the label has been applied to a diverse range of individuals, including castrated men, third-gender identities, gender-variant religious figures, intersex individuals, and people assigned female at birth who adopted alternative gender roles. By exploring the intersections of gender, biological sex, religion, politics, and colonialism, the thesis argues that the term eunuch functions as an overly broad and often ethnocentric category that obscures important distinctions among the people it describes. Drawing on historical scholarship, anthropology, and contemporary understandings of gender and sex, the research highlights how modern interpretations have frequently reinforced binary assumptions and marginalized non-cisnormative identities. Ultimately, the thesis proposes a reassessment of the term’s usage and advocates for more precise, culturally specific language that better reflects the lived experiences and identities of historical individuals.

Comments

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the University Honors Program University of South Florida, St. Petersburg May 1, 2023.

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