Queer theory

Queer theory is a field of post-structuralist critical theory which is broadly associated with the study and theorization of gender and sexual practices that exist outside of heterosexuality, and which challenge the notion that heterosexuality is what is normal. It emerged in the early 1990s out of queer studies (formerly often known as gay and lesbian studies) and women's studies. As an academic discipline, queer theory itself was developed by American feminist scholars Judith Butler and Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick. Other scholars associated with the development of queer theory are French post-structuralist philosopher Michel Foucault, and American feminist author Gloria Anzaldúa.

Following social constructivist developments in sociology, queer theorists are often critical of what they consider essentialist views of sexuality and gender. Instead, they study those concepts as social and cultural phenomena, often through an analysis of the categories, binaries, and language in which they are said to be portrayed.

Informal use of the term "queer theory" began with Gloria Anzaldúa and other scholars in the 1990s, themselves influenced by the work of French post-structuralist philosopher Michel Foucault, who viewed sexuality as socially constructed and rejected identity politics. Queer theory's roots can also be traced back to activism, with the reclaiming of the derogatory term "queer" as an umbrella term for those who do not identify with heteronormativity in the 1980s. This would continue on in the 1990s, with Queer Nation's use of "queer" in their protest chants, such as "We're here! We're queer! Get used to it!"

Teresa de Lauretis organized the first queer theory conference in 1990. According to David Halperin, an early queer theorist, de Lauretis' usage was somewhat controversial at first, as she chose to combine the word "queer" which was just starting to be used in a "gay-affirmative sense by activists, street kids, and members of the art world," and the word "theory" which was seen as very academically weighty. In the early 1990s, the term started to become legitimized in academia.

Queer Theory was developed by American academics Judith Butler at University of California, Berkley, and Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick at Duke University into an academic discipline Other early queer theorists include Michael Warner, Lauren Berlant, and Adrienne Rich.^{[page needed]}

Feminist literary criticism laid groundwork by linking gender and textual interpretation. Foundational works like Sedgwick’s Epistemology of the Closet (1990) drew on literary and philosophical traditions to examine the homo/heterosexual binary. Sedgwick, D. A. Miller, Leo Bersani, and other queer literary critics have analyzed themes such as the closet, shame, and power in narratives.

The term "queer" itself intentionally remains loosely defined in order to encompass the difficult-to-categorize spectrum of gender, sexuality and romantic attraction. Similarly, queer theory remains difficult to objectively define as academics from various disciplines have contributed varying understanding of the term. At its core, queer theory relates to queer people, their lived experience and how their lived experience is culturally or politically perceived, specifically referring to the marginalization of queer people. This thinking is then applied to various fields of thinking.

Queer theory and politics necessarily celebrate transgression in the form of visible difference from norms. These 'Norms' are then exposed to be norms, not natures or inevitabilities. Gender and sexual identities are seen, in much of this work, to be demonstrably defiant definitions and configurations.