Synopses & Reviews
This volume brings together ten core thinkers in the field of lesbian and gay studies. Participants in the outstanding Kessler series, hosted by CLAGS, the premiere U.S. think-tank in the field, they present ten -diverse approaches to the experiences, history, and culture of lesbian and gay people, and in the process they think new and queer ideas into being. Beginning with Joan Nestle, who explores the outsider status of lesbians through the complex life a black lesbian domestic worker, and ending with Judith Butler, who speaks on -human rights in the aftermath of -September 11. The collection includes the pantheon of queer theorists: Edmund White on queer fiction and criticism, Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick on the dialogics of love, and John D’Emilio on gay civil rights activist Bayard Rustin.
Synopsis
Exploring questions of sexuality and gender, this volume brings together ten core thinkers in the field of lesbian and gay studies and provides an essential introduction to this interdisciplinary field as well as the processes by which new--and queer--ideas are thought into being.
The collection begins with Joan Nestle, exploring the outsider status of lesbians through the complex life of a working-class black lesbian born in the South, who lived in New York and experienced the transition from complete marginalization to gay pride. It ends with Judith Butler, who speaks on broadening our concept of human rights in the aftermath of September 11. The collection also includes Edmund White on queer fiction and criticism, Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick on the dialogics of love, John D'Emilio on gay civil rights activist Bayard Rustin, Esther Newton on being "butch," and lectures by Barbara Smith, Monique Wittig, Samuel R. Delany, and Cherrie Moraga. Alisa Solomon and Martin Duberman of CLAGS discuss the genesis of the lecture series and reflect on the evolution of lesbian and gay studies over its first ten years.
Synopsis
A dynamic collection of essays from the leading voices in lesbian and gay studies.
About the Author
CLAGS (the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies at CUNY) was founded in 1986 and is the only university-based research center in the U.S. dedicated to the study of historical, cultural, and political issues of vital concern to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered individuals.Martin Duberman is the founder of CLAGS and distinguished professor of history, Lehman College and The Graduate Center, CUNY. His numerous books include Stonewall (1994) and Paul Robeson: A Biography (1995).Alisa Solomon is the executive director of CLAGS and professor of English and Theater at Baruch College and The Graduate Center, CUNY. She writes regularly for the Village Voice, and she is the author of Re-dressing the Canon: Essays on Theater and Gender (1997).