Queer Ideas: The David R. Kessler Lectures, 1992–2001

by CLAGS: Center for LGBTQ Studies, Judith Butler (Foreword), Martin Duberman (Foreword)

An essential text documenting the foundation and rise of queer theory. The David R. Kessler Lectures, established in 1992 by Center for LGBTQ Studies at CUNY, represent the cutting edge of queer studies in the United States. Years before LGBTQ studies had found a foothold in American academia, the Kessler Lectures celebrated dynamic and diverse inquiries into queer thought, community, and politics. Twenty years after its initial publication, Queer Ideas collects the first ten historic Kessler Lectures by influential scholars, writers, and activists including Cherríe Moraga, Samuel R. Delany, Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, and Barbara Smith, with a new foreword by CLAGS Executive Director Matt Brim and Board Co-Chairs James Harris and Laura Westengard. Alongside the second volume, Queer Then and The David R. Kessler Lectures, 2002–2020 , this revised edition of Queer Ideas traces the early foundations of the field and provides a new opportunity to revisit an essential collection of queer and trans thought.

Genres: Essays

224 pages, Paperback

Published November 14, 2023

Reviews

[Annaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ughhhh!! So good. I love when a book shifts how my mind thinks and processes the world around me.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was cool to read about the history of this lecture series and then read the lectures/essays. Some were harder to follow or didn't connect as much, but overall an interesting read.