Though not a graphic novel, this high illustrated nonfiction book explores how we came to view sex, gender and sexuality in the ways that we do. Barker and Scheele show how these ideas get tangled up with our culture and our understanding of biology, psychology and sexology; and how these views have been disputed and challenged. Each page focuses on a specific aspect of the subject.
I was surprised at how good this book is. To me it sounds like a feet of sithesizing and making accessible a great variety of subjects. The few qualifications / questions I had were tackled in the section on some of the criticisms made to queer theory. This book would probably be great for a reading group or collective reading.
I, a big fan of overviews, the big picture, and the jack of all trades, ADORED this book. A super comprehensive depiction of what queer theory entails, and honestly I FINALLY get it? I think we all read and hear and stumble upon queer theory but this is just the ultimate guide to understanding what it truly is about!!
Lots of information in very little space so definitely worth taking notes of things you must look up later on. Here's my literal list of notes as I was reading:
- Gender and sexuality understood as identity traits is constructed! Just a theoretical framework!
- Post-structuralists say we occupy identities that are available to us in our social and historical context. That begs the question... What would I identify as in another day and age? Would I be straight in the 20s? Would I be non-binary in 30 years? Transhuman in …
I, a big fan of overviews, the big picture, and the jack of all trades, ADORED this book. A super comprehensive depiction of what queer theory entails, and honestly I FINALLY get it? I think we all read and hear and stumble upon queer theory but this is just the ultimate guide to understanding what it truly is about!!
Lots of information in very little space so definitely worth taking notes of things you must look up later on. Here's my literal list of notes as I was reading:
- Gender and sexuality understood as identity traits is constructed! Just a theoretical framework!
- Post-structuralists say we occupy identities that are available to us in our social and historical context. That begs the question... What would I identify as in another day and age? Would I be straight in the 20s? Would I be non-binary in 30 years? Transhuman in 100 years?
- Queeruption and the queercore movement (!!!)
- Biopower, docile bodies, and "technologies of the self" by my main man Foucault
- Explore "sexual configurations"
- Am I part of a queer diaspora?
- A mentality of "both __ and " rather than " or __" to resist the binary
- Queer temporality, including futurity (queer imagined futures)
- Queer ambivalence: how queers can both desire belonging and acceptance, and reject the normativity that alienates them. In Martha Shelley's words, "Sometimes we wish we were like you, sometimes we wonder how you can stand yourselves"
So many queer musings, so little time!
Content warning Bad joke ahead
For a book about queer theory, there sure weren't many good transitions
There are too many things in this book to comprehend, but these things are explained short and not very comprehensive. I suggest while reading this book utilizes from internet and make a book list. This book is good for creating a reading list for more comprehensive understanding of ideas and concepts in queer theory.
