Here's a list of influential and frequently cited academic books on Queer Theory, spanning foundational texts to more recent contributions. This is not exhaustive, but it provides a solid starting point for exploring the field:
Foundational & Highly Influential:
- Judith Butler, Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity (1990): A cornerstone of queer theory, arguing that gender is performative and not tied to biological sex.
- Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, Epistemology of the Closet (1990): Explores the ways in which knowledge is structured by hidden or unspoken assumptions about sexuality.
- Teresa de Lauretis, "The Evidence of Experience" (1987) (Often anthologized): A key essay that critiques the concept of "experience" as a basis for identity politics, important for understanding the development of queer theory's critique of identity categories.
Further Key Texts:
- Michel Foucault, The History of Sexuality, Volume 1: An Introduction (1976): While not exclusively about queer theory, Foucault's work on the social construction of sexuality is foundational to the field.
- David Halperin, How to Do the History of Male Homosexuality (2002): Offers a methodology for studying the history of male homosexuality, challenging essentialist understandings of sexuality.
- Lee Edelman, No Future: Queer Theory and the Death Drive (2004): A controversial but influential work that explores the relationship between queer theory and social negativity.
- José Esteban Muñoz, Disidentifications: Queers of Color and the Performance of Politics (1999): Examines how queer people of color negotiate and resist dominant cultural narratives.
- Jasbir K. Puar, Terrorist Assemblages: Homonationalism in the Queer Intimacies of Terror (2007): Critiques the ways in which LGBTQ+ rights are sometimes used to justify nationalism and imperialism.
- Sara Ahmed, Queer Phenomenology (2006): Explores how sexuality shapes our experience of the world and how we move through it.
Collections and Anthologies (Often very useful for getting a range of perspectives):
- Annamarie Jagose, Queer Theory: An Introduction (1997): Provides a helpful overview of the key concepts and debates in queer theory.
Recent and Emerging Directions:
- Elizabeth Freeman, Time Binds: Queer Temporalities, Queer Futures (2010): Explores the relationship between time, sexuality, and social change.
- Jack Halberstam, The Queer Art of Failure (2011): Reconsiders the value of failure and negativity in queer contexts.
Important Considerations:
- Intersectionality: Queer theory is increasingly attentive to the intersections of sexuality with other social categories, such as race, class, gender, and disability. Look for works that engage with these intersections.
- Global Queer Studies: The field is expanding beyond Western contexts. Seek out scholarship that addresses queer experiences and theories in diverse cultural settings.
This list offers a starting point. Further research based on your specific interests within queer theory will likely lead you to many other valuable resources. University library catalogs and academic databases (like JSTOR, Project MUSE, and EBSCOhost) are excellent tools for finding more.
