English 203

Other Readings and Media

Wekker, G: The Politics of Passion ; Powell, P: The Pagoda ; Selvadurai, Shyam: Funny Boy ; Gopinath, G: Impossible Desires ; Johnson and Henderson: Black Queer Studies ; Munoz, J: Disidentifications ; Eng and Hom: Q & A 

Recommended: Glave, T: Our Caribbean 

Films: Fire  (1996); Black Is, Black Ain't (1995); Brother to Brother (2004)

Description

This seminar is dedicated to the intersection between queer theory and “minority” literatures and cultures. We will take as our starting point the critique of queer theory’s ethnocentrism most potently embodied in Cathy Cohen’s famous essay “Punks, Bulldaggers, and Welfare Queens.” Having considered Cohen’s invocation towards a queerer queer theory (and some of the critical debate surrounding it), we will examine works by artists and scholars of various ethnic backgrounds that engage, critique, and supplement queer theory as it emerged in the US academy. Our field is necessarily disparate—generically, racially, and nationally. We will look at fiction, film, criticism, performance, photography, and anthropology; at artists from the United States, Asia, Africa, and their diasporas. 

Course Reader will include work by Audre Lorde; Gloria Anzaldúa; Rinaldo Walcott, Justin Chen; Cherríe Moraga; Jasbir Puar; David Eng; M. Jacqui Alexander; Omi’seke Natasha Tinsley; Zanele Muholi; Michael Hames Garcia, amongst others.