ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book assesses the current state of knowledge about sexualities outside the all-pervasive framings of the 'West', and focuses on their expressions in the 'nearby' and still underexplored region of Central and Eastern Europe. It offers a perspective on non-normative sexualities that are relational and performative, temporal and 'geohistorical'. The book explores the boundaries of geographical regions, cultural practices, temporal narratives, discursive concepts and imagined locations. It highlights some underlying hierarchisations present within queer studies, and contributes to the discussion about the notion and meaning of 'queer'. The book brings together macro- and micro-level analysis, providing conceptual and empirical tools and arguments. It looks at particular moments of 'post-communist transformation' and 'democratisation' as a site of tussles between hegemonic discourses in a transnational context of negotiation and resistance.
