Queere Zeitlichkeit, internationale Assemblagen und Transfeminismus für Historiker*innen

Abstract

Abstract: Closely intertwined with political activism, queer studies have evolved as a vast field of knowledge, and offering an overview of the literature – as is presented here – poses considerable challenges. Addressing concepts of time, place, and subjectivity, the author highlights some of the more recent “turns” within queer theories and reflects upon their impact on historical research. One key trend is the way in which embodied and affective temporalities figure prominently among new queer concepts. One of the self-reflexive conclusions that have been formulated by and for historians deals with the question of what kind of relations scholars are supposed to cultivate with ‘queers’ of the past. A second development within queer theories emerged in the aftermath of 9/11, when national(ist) productions of racialized and sexualized others moved to the centre of queer analysis; the term “homonationalism” widely gained authority. In relation to the history and presence of international asymmetries, the paper raises questions about queer perspectives on geopolitical power relations and the ongoing challenges of doing justice to post-colonial criticism. A third “turn” originates from transgender activism and trans theory, particularly trans*feminism, as promoted by French, Spanish and other “non-US” authors. In this regard, the paper discusses consequences of a queer trans*feminist approach to subject formations, border theories, and embodied reading in historical research.

Keywords

• homosexualities
• queer theory
• time
• temporality
• homonationalism
• postcolonial studies