WOMS200 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Critical Race Theory, Queer Theory, Sexology
23 May 2018
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Lecture 18
Queer Theory Part 4
Popular Culture & Queer Theory
• Critical engagement with texts called discourse analysis
• Assumptions? Norms? Internal contradictions? What is included/excluded, privileged or
silenced?
Queering
• Queer moments: those that disrupt the narrative and destabilize heteronormativity by
highlighting what is integral to it
• Demonstrate that gender is performative, identities are not fixed, queer attractions are
possible (103)
• Examples
o Bert and Ernie
o Frog and Toad
o Watson and Holmes
o Valley of the Dolls
o Rocky Horror Picture Show
Jack Halberstam
• Wote The Quee At of Failue ad Gaga Feiis: “e, Gede, ad the Ed
of Noal
• Values: low culture and theory as much as high culture and theory
• Guerilla tactics
o Slash fiction
o Wicked musical
Relationship to Biology
• Queer theory = social constructionist, on the nurture side of the nature/nurture
argument
• Disagreed with essentialism (our identities are fixed)
• How does this differ from existentialism?
o Reductionist: all gender/sexuality can be reduced to our biology
o Deteiist: people’s gede/seualit is deteied thei
genetics/hormones
Queering Biology and the Social Sciences
• Fausto-Sterling
o “eig the Bod
o “e/Gede
• Biopsychosocial approaches
find more resources at oneclass.com
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