Queer Theory
with Betti Vasileva
5 Monday evenings 7-9.30pm starting 20 May, 2019
Queer theory is a field of critical theory that emerged in the early 1990s out of the fields of queer studies and women’s studies.
Queer theory includes both queer readings of texts and the theorisation of ‘queerness’ itself. Heavily influenced by the work of Lauren Berlant, Leo Bersani, Judith Butler, Lee Edelman, Jack Halberstam and Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, queer theory builds both upon feminist challenges to the idea that gender is part of the essential self and upon gay/lesbian studies’ close examination of the socially constructed nature of sexual acts and identities.
Whereas gay/lesbian studies focused its inquiries into natural and unnatural behaviour with respect to homosexual behaviour, queer theory expands its focus to encompass any kind of sexual activity or identity that falls into normative and deviant categori
This introductory, 5-week module is part of our degree-level course in Feminism, Gender and Sexuality.
All welcome.