Queer Histories

3 units

Queer history is a profoundly political project. Scholars and activists use queer histories to assert theories of identity formation, build communities, and advance a vision of the meanings of sexuality in modern life and the place of queer people in national communities. This history of alternative sexual identities is narrated in a variety of settings-the internet as well as the academy, art and film as well as the streets-and draws upon numerous disciplines, including anthropology, geography, sociology, oral history, fiction and memoir, as well as history. This discussion-based course will examine the sites and genres of queer history, with particular attention to moments of contestation and debate about its contours and meanings.