Queer Theory

Description

Queer Theory is one of the most contested and intellectually complex movements in contemporary sexual politics. Where did it come from, and what does it do? Is queer theory only for queers? If you have ever wanted to be a leather daddy, been puzzled by performativity, tried to measure bisexuality, or wondered whether Diana, Princess of Wales could be a gay icon, Queer Theory is required reading. This vibrant anthology of groundbreaking work by influential scholars, activists, performers, and visual artists is essential for anyone with an interest in sexuality studies or gender activism. The fifteen articles - including two specially commissioned contributions, as well as an engaging introduction - map, contextualise, and challenge queer theory's project both within and beyond the academy. Helpful critical summaries that link the selections, and suggestions for further reading, make this volume perfect for anyone approaching queer theory for the first time.

Promotion info

JUDITH BUTLER Maxine Elliot Professor in Rhetoric and Comparative Literature at the University of California at Berkeley, USA PATRICK CALIFIA-RICE Author of sixteen books, including Sex Changes (1997) CHERYL CHASE Founder of the Intersex Society of North America MARJORIE GARBER William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of English at Harvard University and Director of the Humanities Center in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, USA DONALD E. HALL Professor of English and Chair of the Department of English at California State University, USA PETER HEGARTY Social psychologist and historian of psychology. Currently teaches at the University of Surrey, UK LARRY KRAMER Novelist, playwright , and founder of both Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) and AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) MARK NORRIS LANCE Associate Professor of Philosophy ad Associate Profesor of Justice and Peace at Georgetown University, USA MANDY MERCK Professor of Media Arts at Royal Holloway, University of London, UK CAROL QUEEN Staff Sexologist at Good Vibrations in San Francisco, and director of The Center for Sex and Culture, USA EVE KOSOFSKY SEDGWICK teaches in the PhD programme in English at the Graduate Center of the City University in New York, USA WILLIAM J. SPURLIN Senior Lecturer in English and Critical and Cultural Theory at Cardiff University, Wales, UK ALESSANDRA TANESINI Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at Cardiff University, Wales, UK DEL LAGRACE VOLCANO Gender variant visual artist SUZANNA DANUTA WALTERS Professor of Sociology and Director of Women's Studies at Georgetown University, USA STEPHEN WHITTLE Reader in Law at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK INDRA WINDH Specialises in psychology and drama

Author description

IAIN MORLAND is Lecturer in Cultural Criticism at Cardiff University. ANNABELLE WILLOX is an independent scholar and has taught at Cardiff and Glamorgan Universities.

Table of contents

List of Illustrations General Editor's Preface Acknowledgements Introduction; I.Morland & A.Willox From Here to Queer: Radical Feminism, Postmodernism, and the Lesbian Menace; S.D.Walters Gay Men, Lesbians, and Sex: Doing it Together; P.Califia 1,112 and Counting; L.Kramer The Leather Daddy and the Femme; C.Queen The Return to Biology; M.Garber Intersex Activism, Feminism and Psychology; C.Chase & P.Hegarty Axiomatic; E.Kosofsky Sedgwick A Brief, Slanted History of 'Homosexual' Activity; D.E.Hall Gender Fucking or Fucking Gender; S.Whittle GenderFusion; D.L.Volcano & I.Windh Contagious Word: Paranoia and 'Homosexuality' in the Military; J.Butler I'd Rather Be the Princess than the Queen!: Mourning Diana as Gay Icon; W.J.Spurlin Identity Judgements, Queer Politics; M.N.Lance & A.Tanesini Afterword; M.Merck Summaries Suggestions for Further Reading Notes on Contributors Index