Paper Short Abstract:

This contribution explores the tension between public sexual discourses and private realities during West Germany’s Long Sixties using oral history. Drawing on approximately 25 interviews with men and women (born between 1929 and 1973) from a broader dissertation project, the presentation focuses on select biographical narratives to analyze how individuals experienced and negotiated sexuality within moral and historical contexts. The analysis highlights the persistence of sexual conservatisms, such as the stigmatization of premarital sexuality in rural-Catholic milieus of the 1950s, alongside the ambivalent effects of the "sex wave" of the 1960s and 1970s. Grounded in Foucault’s concept of sexuality as a "dense transfer point for relations of power," this study examines how gendered norms, emotions, and moral concepts shaped the sexual lives and practices of respondents. By emphasizing the intersection of personal experience and broader societal tensions, the contribution reframes sexuality as both a deeply personal and politically charged space.

Paper Abstract:

Despite numerous studies on the sexual history of West Germany that challenge stereotypes of the "prudish" 1950s or the "libertine" 1970s, there is a surprising lack of investigation into the intersection of personal narratives, sexual practices, and the moral frameworks governing them. This contribution seeks to bridge that gap by using oral history to explore the tension between public discourses and private sexual realities. Drawing on 25 oral history interviews with men and women (born 1929–1973) from a broader dissertation project, the presentation focuses on select biographical narratives to illuminate how individuals experienced and narrated sexuality within specific moral and historical contexts.

Using the lens of sexual folklore and Foucault’s concept of sexuality as a "dense transfer point for relations of power," the study examines how gendered and era-specific moral concepts shaped the sexual practices, emotions, and narratives of respondents. Paradigmatic cases include the stigmatized yet tolerated practice of premarital sexuality in rural-Catholic milieus of the 1950s and the ambivalent effects of the media-driven "sex wave" of the 1960s and 1970s, which catalyzed liberalization without eroding entrenched conservatisms.

The analysis also delves into the emotional and narrative frameworks respondents used to navigate sexuality, particularly in relation to power dynamics between genders. By grounding these insights in subjective accounts, the study reframes sexuality not only as a deeply personal matter but also as a site where broader societal tensions—shame, censorship, and power—manifest in everyday life.