Opposed to gender essentialism, queer theorists see sexuality as a discursive social construction, fluid, plural, and continually negotiated rather than a natural, fixed, core identity. Key Terms and Concepts. Identities are fictitious and arbitrary. The term can have various meanings depending upon its usage, but has broadly been associated with the study and theorisation of gender and sexual practices that exist outside of heterosexuality, and which challenge the . Radical gender theory is a catch-all term for academic queer theory, transgender ideology, and gender identity activism. Definition: Queer Theory (QT) is both theory and political action. In 1984 Gayle Rubin, a cultural anthropologist wrote the article "Thinking Sex"**, which is widely regarded as a founding text for queer theory.The article highlights historical ideologies (social and religious) that contributed to sex-negativity and focuses on sexual . An example of the fluidity of gender/sexuality can be seen in the character of Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean. Find more study material on our Political Philosophy overview page Class notes Queer Theory: Meaning and Key Concepts This lecture notes discusses the topic "queer theory", which is largely a product of the 1990s and has been influential in literary studies, postcolonial theory, and some areas of sociology. Social movement The movements called Gay Liberation and Lesbian Feminist started in the late 1960s and 1970s respectively paved the way for the Lesbian/Gay movement . What is Queer Theory? Queer theory has several definitions and it can mean something different to every individual. There are many queer theories, and various scholars are concerned with queer theory and offer their insight into the notion. Theory Queer theory challenges the traditionally held assumptions that there is a binary divide between gay and heterosexual, and suggests that sexual identity is more fluid. Crucial to queer theory is the recovery of the concealed and repressed presence of gay and lesbian 'actors' and activities within social and cultural life. View RECL 111 Key Concepts Book Ch on Identities.pdf from RECL 111 at San Jose State University. All sexual topics considered "queer" or not part of the mainstream are discussed. Judith Butler (b.1956) received a PhD in philosophy from Yale in 1984, with a thesis on Hegelian influences in France. Queer theory is a way of thinking that dismantles traditional assumptions about gender and sexual identities. Queer Theory. Contrary to this belief, Queer theory stipulates that a close examination of the socially constructed nature of sex and gender is required to challenge the idea that gender is a part of one's essential identity. Queer theory is a field of critical theory [citation needed] that emerged in the early 1990s out of queer studies (often, formerly, gay and lesbian studies) and women's studies. One of the key concepts in queer theory is the idea of "heteronormativity," which pertains to "the institutions, structures of understanding, and practical orientations that make heterosexuality seem not only coherentthat is, organized as a sexualitybutalso privileged" (Berlant). In celebration of Pride Month, we've created this feature on queer theory. Preview 1 out of 2 pages One of the founding principles of queer theory breaks down the concept of sexual binaries, viewing sexuality as a spectrum. The term Queer Studies suggests it is a mlange, the result of blending two ingredients: gay and lesbian studies and queer theory. Queer Theory subverts traditional institutions of society that are based on the heteronormative model of human sexuality, and acknowledges the broad spectrum of sexuality, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Definition is impossible, but QT can be summarised as exploring the oppressive power of dominant norms, particularly those relating to sexuality, and the immiseration they cause to those who cannot, or do not wish to, live according to those norms. Queer theory follows feminist theory and gay/lesbian studies in rejecting the idea that . - Identities - An identity is a summary statement about who we are, a symbolic way to . Queer theory emphasises the fluid and humanly performed nature of sexuality - or better, sexualities. A combination of pointed anger, sophisticated academic theorizing, and pleasure in perversity informed Queer Theory, art, performance, writing, and the New Queer Cinema that emerged in the early 1990s from this same potent political and intellectual environment. Week 2. Key Concepts In Queer Theory To help you get a better grasp of some of the big topics that queer theory covers, here, we introduce three key ideas: The Performativity of Gender Philosopher Judith. Queer theory grew out of earlier work on conventional female and homosexual male identities to consider a much wider range of possibilities including . between Queer Theory and other social and cultural theories that probe and critique power, privilege, and normativity, including critical race theory, transgender studies, feminist theory, and disability studies. The premise of this ideology is that sex and gender are socially constructedthat is, they are human inventions used as instruments of power, rather than features of objective reality. Queer theorists say that each person's sexual identity is different, created by a multitude of social factors as well as individual preferences. The book clearly explains the critical terms - from 'Ab-human' to 'Zombie' - as well as the main theories, including ecocriticism, queer theory and Postcolonial theory, which any student of the. She is the Maxine Elliot professor in the Departments of Rhetoric and Comparative Literature at the University of California at Berkeley. What are the politics of queer? What are the promises of queer theory, and what are its perils? It is strongly reliant on psychoanalytic categories and concepts, but seeks to overcome the heterosexual limits of psychoanalytic theory. The basics of queer theory. Queer Theory (from The SAGE Dictionary of Cultural Studies) "Queer theory is a term that has been applied to a body of work that has explored gay, lesbian and bisexual life experience. The queer theory maintains a critique rather just defining the specific identity and this critique can be described with the concept of ecotechnics used in the technical studies. Objectives: By the end of the course, students will: Be able to identify the key concepts and themes of Queer Theory. The construction of gender roles are a social control mechanism used to delineate people into subgroups based on physical characteristics. Queer theory is more inclusive than Gay and Lesbian studies. The formula "gay and lesbian studies + queer theory= queer studies suggests an effortless synthesis which is far from the truth" (Piontek, pg 1), thus is a misleading and . Rather than accepting queer theory as a singular, defined school of thought, the course will problematize queer studies as a field and a mode of analysis, considering the following questions: What kinds of bodies or desires does queer describe? It soon distanced itself from those approaches due to disagreements with the stable identities that LGBT studies suggest. Key Theories of Judith Butler. Queer theory seeks, among other things, to describe or map out the ways homosexual or homoerotic desire manifests itself in literary and cultural texts. Queer theory is an extremely interesting but somewhat confusing topic to grasp, however, it is an important concept to understand. Butler 's collection of essays, Gender Trouble: Feminism . 'The representation of gender is its construction,' declares the Italian-American feminist theorist Teresa de Lauretis, who coined the term 'queer theory' in 1990. The field emerged from sexuality studies and women's studies. Queer theory insists that all sexual behaviors, all concepts linking sexual behaviors to sexual identities, and all categories of normative and deviant sexualities, are social constructs, sets of signifiers which create certain types of social meaning. Queer theory's origins are in LGBT studies - which focus on sexuality and gender. Queer theorists analyze gender and sexuality as socially and culturally constructed concepts. Queer theory is an indispensable tool for researchers asking questions about the roles of power, discourse, and knowledge in the development and sustenance of structural forms of domination . Are in LGBT studies - which focus on sexuality and gender and sexual identities to identify the concepts Maxine Elliot professor in the Departments of Rhetoric and Comparative Literature at the of Able to identify the key concepts and themes of queer theory is inclusive. 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