Identity Poetics

Between Men-Between Women: Lesbian and Gay Studies

by Linda Garber

"Queer theory," asserts Linda Garber, "alternately buries and vilifies lesbian feminism, missing its valuable insights and ignoring its rich contributions." Rejecting the either/or choice between lesbianism and queer theory, she favors an inclusive approach that defies current factionalism. In an eloquent challenge to the privileging of queer theory in the academy, Garber calls for recognition of the historical―and intellectually significant―role of lesbian poets as theorists of lesbian identity and activism.

The connections, Garber shows, are most clearly seen when looking at the pivotal work of working-class lesbians/lesbians of color whose articulations of multiple, simultaneous identity positions and activist politics both belong to lesbian feminism and presage queer theory. Identity Poetics includes a critical overview of recent historical writing about the women's and lesbian-feminist movements of the 1970s; discussions of the works of Judy Grahn, Pat Parker, Audre Lorde, Adrienne Rich, and Gloria Anzaldúa; and, finally, a chapter on the rise and hegemony of queer theory within lesbigay studies.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, LGBT, Feminism, Queer, History, Theory

304 pages, Paperback

First published August 15, 2001

Reviews

[Feli]

look. i loved this book w all my heart for about 90 percent. until the afterword w its completely unneccessary, useless, unjustified use of the t word. i cannot even decide on my no of stars..

cf my reading updates and quotes in the comments

also. i briefly confused sheila jeffreys with janice raymond, which is where my anger in 1 of my reading comments stems from. as it is, i rescind that complaint, but will leave it up bc i have no idea how to delete it from the app

[Montana Vince · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved learning about the history of lesbian feminism and the political identity of a lesbian <3

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm