Genealogy Of Queer Theory (American Subjects) [Paperback]

William B. Turner (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1566397871 | ISBN-13: 978-1566397872 | Publication Date: August 24, 2000

Who are queers and what do they want? Could it be that we are all queers? Beginning with such questions, William B. Turner's lucid and engaging book traces the roots of queer theory to the growing awareness that few of us precisely fit standard categories for sexual and gender identity. Turner shows how Michel Foucault's work contributed to feminists' investigations into the ways that power relates to identity. In the last decades of the twentieth century, feminists were the first to challenge the assumption that a claim to universal identity the white male citizen should serve as the foundation of political thought and action. Difference matters.Race, ethnicity, class, gender, and sexuality interact, producing a wide array of identities that resist rigid definition and are mutable. By understanding the notion of transhistorical categories woman, man, homosexual, and so forth feminist and gay male scholars launched queer theoretical work as a new way to think about the politics of gender and sexuality." A Genealogy of Queer Theory" probes the fierce debates among scholars and activists, weighing the charges that queer readings of texts and identity politics do not constitute and might inhibit radical social change. Written by a historian, it considers the implications of queer theory for historical inquiry and the distinction between philosophy and history. As such, the book will interest readers of gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender studies, intellectual history, political theory, and the history of gender/sexuality. Author note: William B. Turner is a Visiting Assistant Professor of History at Middle Tennessee State University. He is the co-chair of the "Lesbian and Gay Coalition for Justice", and the co-editor of the forthcoming book "Creating Change: Public Policy, Civil Rights and Sexuality".

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A Genealogy of Queer Theory is a lucid intellectual history of queer theory and its relationship with queer history. Putting Foucault at the center, Turner provides a valuable guide to the twists and turns of queer theory, analyzing the work of a wide range of scholars who have revolutionized the way we think about the queer past, queer identity, and queer politics." --Leila J. Rupp, Ohio State University, author of A Desired Past: A Short History of Same-Sex Love in America "This provocative, accessible introduction to the controversial field of 'queer theory' illuminates, engages, and edifies. Readers across the academic disciplines, and throughout a diversity of activist locations, will find points of entry, lucid guideposts, and questions of clear significance here." --Lisa Duggan, author of Sapphic Slashers: Sex, Violence and American Modernity "Turner draws greatly from feminist scholars and Foucault to challenge the presumption of an unfolding rationality that places scientific discourses at a remove from politics, and instead analyzes them in political practice." --Choice

From the Publisher

An accessible history of queer—not gay/lesbian—theory and its academic importance --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Temple University Press (August 24, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566397871
• ISBN-13: 978-1566397872
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,417,519 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Genealogy of Queer Theory, May 29, 2002

By 

Randy Egan (Cincinnati, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Genealogy Of Queer Theory (American Subjects) (Paperback)

From experts to beginners, Bill Turner provides the key to knowing how queer theory began and evolved. This historian and queer theorist maps the various themes and directions the major writers took while founding his book on the essential thoughts of Michel Foucault. This book helps keep my studies on track. I would help a novice gain a perceptive overview.