NYU Press Imagining Queer Methods

Reimagines the field of queer studies by asking “How do we do queer theory?”      Imagining Queer Methods showcases the methodological renaissance unfolding in queer scholarship. This volume brings together emerging and esteemed researchers from all corners of the academy who are defining new directions for the field.     From critical race studies, history, journalism, lesbian feminist studies, literature, media studies, and performance studies to anthropology, education, psychology, sociology, and urban planning, this impressive interdisciplinary collection covers topics such as humanistic approaches to reading, theorizing, and interpreting, as well as scientific appeals to measurement, modeling, sampling, and statistics.    By bringing together diverse voices, Ghaziani and Brim inspire us with new ways of thinking about methods and methodologies in queer studies. Review Imagining Queer Methods jumpstarts a much-needed conversation among sociologists, historians, and literary theorists about what exactly it means to 'do' queer work. Original and path-breaking, Imagining Queer Methods will change the way we think about and practice our scholarship.--Arlene Stein, author of Unbound: Transgender Men and the Transformation of Identity For those working in the areas of queer theory or queer studies, we know that the question of something called 'queer methods' or 'queer methodologies' is a long-standing and vexing one. It is a mixing of two ideas that on first blush appear incompatible--that is, 'queerness' and 'method.' The latter calls to mind the possibility of unified disciples, fixed approaches, and data sets, while the former defies any such easy categorical coherence. Imagining Queer Methods is nothing less than a manifesto on the future of how these two seemingly orthogonal terms can together be productively engaged in knowledge production. Amin Ghaziani and Matt Brim, two leading voices among their generation of queer theorists, have carefully curated an impressive array of transdisciplinary voices who do precisely that in the essays contained in this volume.--Dwight A. McBride, author of Why I Hate Abercrombie & Fitch: Essays On Race and Sexuality Is 'queer methods' an oxymoron? Not according to this volume, which takes aim at the longstanding assumption that the political force of queer studies arises from its anti-disciplinary commitments. Provocative, timely, and fierce, Imagining Queer Methods is both a case study and manifesto for why methods matter.--Robyn Wiegman, author of Object Lessons Smart, scrappy, and exciting, Imagining Queer Methods brings together top scholars from across disciplines for a provocative tour of how queerness can challenge and invigorate research enterprises--Joshua Gamson, author of Modern Families: Stories of Extraordinary Journeys to Kinship The scholars and activists of Imagining Queer Methods dare to ask not only 'why' but 'how.' Through oral history, community study, social mapping, and manifesto they break through the artificial divide between academic and activist methods in order to name and support the political and procedural protocols that might--with struggle and care--give birth to dynamic practices of queer liberation.--Robert F. Reid-Pharr, author of Archives of Flesh: Spain, African America, and Post-Humanist Critique This volume is highly recommended for graduate students and scholars who seek to understand queer methods and apply them in their own work.-- "CHOICE" About the Author Matt Brim is Associate Professor of Queer Studies and Academic Director of the Faculty Fellowship Publication Program at the College of Staten Island, City University of New York. He is the author of James Baldwin and the Queer Imagination. Amin Ghaziani is Associate Professor of Sociology and Canada Research Chair in Sexuality and Urban Studies at the University of British Columbia. He is author or co-editor of A Decade of HAART, The Dividends