Rating: 
Summary: "timely, comprehensive and accessible" - review extract
Review: "The latest in a spate of recently published queer books, Annamarie Jagose's *Queer Theory* represents not only a timely, comprehensive, and accessible introduction to this proliferating body of knowledge, it is also a reflection of an extremely talented writer whose fast-growing corpus (uncharacteristically) speaks with a broad range of audiences and writing styles. Taking stock of the emergent set of discourses known as queer theory, Jagose provides readers, both 'academic' and 'non-academic', with a succinct survey and appraisal of both the historical preconditions of queer, and contemporary debates surrounding its theoretical and political efficacy ....
*Queer Theory* is unlikely to date as one of the most refreshingly readable and concise introductions to this important body of knowledge. A perfect and inexpensive undergraduate textbook or gift to anyone interested in the politics of sexuality" - Stephen Angelides in *Screaming Hyena*
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty Good Introduction
Review: Author Annamarie Jagose does a good job of highlighting the top scholars in the queer studies field and putting them together in one, concise volume. As a media communications scholar with an emphasis in queer studies I found this book immensly helpful. Jagose does a good job of chronicling history as well, so that the reader gets an insight of what was going on historically in the gay rights movement. I applauded the chapter also on lesbian feminism since that is often left out of many queer studies books. Highly recommended for scholar new to this field. While the definition(s) of "queer" are hard to define, I can at least appreciate someone who can make some sense of an often confusing and muddy subject.
Rating: 
Summary: There is Something Queer Going on Here!
Review: Author Annamarie Jagose does a good job of highlighting the top scholars in the queer studies field and putting them together in one, concise volume. As a media communications scholar with an emphasis in queer studies I found this book immensly helpful. Jagose does a good job of chronicling history as well, so that the reader gets an insight of what was going on historically in the gay rights movement. I applauded the chapter also on lesbian feminism since that is often left out of many queer studies books. Highly recommended for scholar new to this field. While the definition(s) of "queer" are hard to define, I can at least appreciate someone who can make some sense of an often confusing and muddy subject.
Rating:
Summary: Decent Intro to a less-decent theory
Review: I found this book to be a quick and interesting read. Jagose laid out the social history of homosexuality very clearly, providing a good background to understand the context of queer theory. The explanation of queer theory was pretty clear, considering the difficulty involved in defining a term that resists being defined.The author also included a chapter featuring criticisms of queer theory, though I felt the author was somewhat dismissive of much of the critiques (many criticisms that I agreed with your simply dismissed as "misinterpreting the theory"). The theory itself, is much less satisfactory. While its basic premise makes sense (questioning the self-evidence of many categories of identity such as gender and sexual orientation). However, some implications of this theory seem to fly in the face of common sense and established knowledge. For example, one scholar quoted in the book questions the "self-evidence" of sex (male vs. female). While it is certainly valid to question the social roles/obligations attached to sex (though I would think this falls under the category of gender, not sex), but I think the self-evidence of sex itself is well established by biology and genetics. Transexualism might contradict the traditional concept of sex as a biological/genetic category, but most experts regard transexualism as a birth defect, so using it as an example to destablize traditional views of male vs. female is problematic. However, my background is in physical anthropology/human evolution, so my perspective is probably more biologically based where as queer theory appears more purely philosophical. Regardless of disagreements with the theory itself, this book provides a thorough and interesting introduction.
Rating:
Summary: Decent Intro to a less-decent theory
Review: I found this book to be a quick and interesting read. Jagose laid out the social history of homosexuality very clearly, providing a good background to understand the context of queer theory. The explanation of queer theory was pretty clear, considering the difficulty involved in defining a term that resists being defined. The author also included a chapter featuring criticisms of queer theory, though I felt the author was somewhat dismissive of much of the critiques (many criticisms that I agreed with your simply dismissed as "misinterpreting the theory"). The theory itself, is much less satisfactory. While its basic premise makes sense (questioning the self-evidence of many categories of identity such as gender and sexual orientation). However, some implications of this theory seem to fly in the face of common sense and established knowledge. For example, one scholar quoted in the book questions the "self-evidence" of sex (male vs. female). While it is certainly valid to question the social roles/obligations attached to sex (though I would think this falls under the category of gender, not sex), but I think the self-evidence of sex itself is well established by biology and genetics. Transexualism might contradict the traditional concept of sex as a biological/genetic category, but most experts regard transexualism as a birth defect, so using it as an example to destablize traditional views of male vs. female is problematic. However, my background is in physical anthropology/human evolution, so my perspective is probably more biologically based where as queer theory appears more purely philosophical. Regardless of disagreements with the theory itself, this book provides a thorough and interesting introduction.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent, concise introduction..mostly
Review: Jagose's slim book is a historical/genealogical account of queer theory, placing it in a historical context of growing gay and lesbian liberation movements, from the homophile movement of the Mattachine Society to lesbian feminism, gay liberation, and the appropriation of the term queer as a strategic term. The essence of modern queer theory as proposed here is to move beyond "identity politics" in gay and lesbian studies. The proposal of any sexual orientation as normative, whether straight or gay, is counter to the deconstructive tendencies of queer theory, which problematizes the whole notion of "orientation" or "gender" or "sexuality." Some have called queer theory the "deconstruction" of gay and lesbian studies, where shifting and unstable sexual identities are destablized in favor of open-ended and multiple readings of cultural phenomena. This points to the stormy reception queer theory has recieved. Some have argued that this deconstruction of sexual orientation and gender serves the political interests of the right-wing, preserving male and heterosexist hegemony while undermining women's voices and progressive politics. Queer theory, like bisexuals, poses a "crisis of meaning" for many who wish to carve out a safe and protective space for gays and lesbians. As gay and lesbian studies have often relied on sexual orientation/sexual identity as a fundamental category, queer theory attempts to destablize this "bedrock," revealing the power structures and discursive limits within. The main qualm I have with this book is its relative lack of literary and artistic culture and the role different authors and figures played in the shifts within queer culture. The book would be all the stronger for the inclusion of such material.
Rating: 
Summary: Turgid and prolix tour of a politically correct swamp
Review: Ms. Jagose does as well as can be expected in explaining a "discipline" that is anything but. A strong point of her tour of this academic freakery is in making it clear how the overwhelmingly male queer population came to be the caboose on the train of radical feminism. Those with the endurance to complete this introduction will understand why queer theory is the phlogiston of the social sciences. A more concise and less arcane view of some of the same terrain can be had in Leo Bersani's "Homos," also available from Amazon.com.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Overview -- great for teaching
Review: My students have found this book very helpful, as have I. A complex but very useable history of an exciting field.
Rating:
Summary: Great read!
Review: The author, demonstrating knowledge that can only be termed encyclopaedic, gives an excellent overview of a diverse body of literature devoted to the issues of gender, sexuality and identity. After reading this book I have a firm understanding of the evolution of queer theory and the bibliography will prove invaluable in reading further about various aspects of this fascinating subject. The book is especially valuable as it gives mention to various movements, such as homophile, gay liberation and lesbian feminist, in an Australian as well as American context. Be warned though, you may find it handy to have a dictionary around.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent overview
Review: The author, demonstrating knowledge that can only be termed encyclopaedic, gives an excellent overview of a diverse body of literature devoted to the issues of gender, sexuality and identity. After reading this book I have a firm understanding of the evolution of queer theory and the bibliography will prove invaluable in reading further about various aspects of this fascinating subject. The book is especially valuable as it gives mention to various movements, such as homophile, gay liberation and lesbian feminist, in an Australian as well as American context. Be warned though, you may find it handy to have a dictionary around.
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