Queer: A Graphic History
Reviewed by Anonymous
I loved this book! Activist-academic Meg-John Barker and cartoonist Julia Scheele have succeeded in doing something rare: they made queer theory understandable and practical for non-academics, at least in my unavoidably academic opinion. They also did so in a brilliant format, seamlessly weaving together crisp, clear text with beautiful illustrations that go beyond mere summary to actually advance their points. If you are a reader with at least basic knowledge of LGBTQ issues who wants a non-jargony, eminently readable, wide-in-scope introduction to queer theory and why it matters then Queer: A Graphic History is the book for you.
Please note three things before you buy it, however. First, this book will make you think deeply about, even challenge, some of your basic beliefs about how the world works. This is not "light" reading. This is reading that, if you are open to it, will help you attain greater intellectual insight and self-knowledge. So put your thinking caps on if you pick this up! Second, don't be misled by the title. This book is not a "history" of the LGBTQ rights movement or of LGBTQ people throughout time. The authors do discuss activism and, of course, queer people, but this book is primarily about ideas—how they came into existence and how they profoundly affect our lives. Don't choose this book if what you really want to know is who was the first lesbian in space (Sally Ride) or what Supreme Court case decriminalized same-sex intercourse throughout the USA (Lawrence v. Texas, 2003). Finally, know that you will have to do the work of connecting this queer theory to your theology. The authors do not discuss the Bible nor the work of queer theologians.
Strengths
Two of the main strengths of the book are its clear structure and its commitment to reader learning. The book does not have a table of contents, but the authors do tell you where the book is headed (5-6) and also what to expect from each page (through headings). Additionally, throughout the book, they continually recap their main points. This is especially helpful regarding the unifying features of queer theory, which would be hard to not know by the end of the book. In brief, they argue that queer theories, though diverse and prone to change, tend to: 1) resist the categorization of people, 2) reject essentialisms, 3) question binaries like gay/straight and male/female, 4) demonstrate how everything is contextual, and 5) examine underlying power relations (31). From this definition, it should be clear that even defining queer theory is hard since one of its goals is to resist definitions. Furthermore, this definition shows that queer theory is opposed to identity politics, i.e. "fighting for rights on the basis of identity (e.g. as an LGB or T person)" (16). Again and again, they indicate that queer theory opposes stable identities, even queer ones, and puts the focus back on diverse actions—on what we do rather than who we are.
Structure & approach
The book's structure is straightforward. They begin by giving a history of the word "queer" as a noun, adjective, and verb. Next, they provide a brief history of how westerners came to think as we do about sex. This section includes a brief but crucial introduction to Richard von Krafft-Ebing, whose work seismically shifted sexuality from being a (sinful) behavior to being a (psychologically abnormal) identity, and who, in my view, deserves to be as infamous as Sigmund Freud, whom they also discuss. Something that is noticeably absent from this section is any sustained discussion of the Bible or of the role of religion in shaping western understandings of sexuality. In the following section, they introduce precursors to queer theory, from existentialist philosophers to black, intersectional feminists. The highpoints of this section, however, are without a doubt their summaries of the work of Michel Foucault and Judith Butler, whom they call queer theory's "godparents" (63). I don't think that I've ever seen such a masterful distillation of these philosophers' key ideas as I did here.
Half way through the book they get into queer theory proper. Through the works of early queer theorists (Teresa de Lauretis, Michael Warner, Diana Fuss, Eve Kosofsky-Sedgwick, and Gloria Anzaldua), they describe the discipline's ascent in the 1990s, its critiques of heteronormativity and binaries, its answer to the nature/nurture question, and more. Then they turn to "queer interventions," exploring how queer theory is put to work in different disciplines. They discuss queer analyses of texts and pop culture, queer approaches to the sciences, queer sexology, and queer medicine. I couldn't help but wish that they'd added a page on queer theology. Perhaps, I will write to them!
The author closes the book by highlighting important criticisms of queer theory, by forecasting the future of the field, and by suggesting how to use queer theory in our daily lives. I particularly valued how they not only attended to race, ability, bisexuality, and trans issues, but also how they brought majority-world notions of gender and sexuality into the mix. They highlighted, for example, India's hijra identity, Thailand's tom, dee, and kathoey identities, and Indonesia's bissu, calabai, and calalai identities (131). Diverse sexualities and gender identities exist all over the world and throughout history. They should be a part of our conversations as well, particularly since the Church is also global. Their inclusion in this book is one example (out of many) of how the authors modeled how to resist in all areas of our thinking.
Barker, Meg-John and Jules Scheele. Queer: A Graphic History. London: Icon Books, 2016. 176 pages. $17.95. ISBN: 9781785780714.
In short
This book impacted my thinking in several ways. Most obviously, it brought together into one coherent narrative many of the ideas that I've picked up in seminary, from the internet, and from my personal experiences as a bi woman. Frequently, I caught myself exclaiming things like: "I've heard about this before! Oh, that’s how it fits into the bigger picture?" Regarding new ideas, this book impacted me by providing me with key points along with helpful signposts pointing where to go to learn more. For example, I know that I will be checking out the books on queer temporality when I get a chance. Finally, this book leaves me with lingering and uncomfortable questions about the (in)stability of identity. It took me years to articulate and own my sexual identity, and now I'm supposed to give that up in favor of living queerly rather than being queer? This book could not take me to that level. And that's ok. I agree that essentialisms are bad and that definitions are prone to oppress, but I will need to meet a person who thrives while intentionally eschewing identity before I take down my bi-pride flag. For now, I'm glad to make the queer theory that I learned in this book work for me on my terms. I encourage you to do the same. I think you'll find that they've given you an abundance of material with which to work.