Queer Race: Cultural Interventions in the Racial Politics of Queer Theory (Gender, Sexuality, and Culture)

Rating:
Summary: Dazzling and Daring
Review: I have just finished reading Ian Barnard's dazzling book, Queer Race, which I had been waiting for ever since I saw it mentioned on a queer theory listserv. I would venture to say that this book is imperative reading for anyone working in queer theory (or cultural studies) today. I wish I had read it in my graduate seminar on queer theory. Playful, political, theoretical, and passionate, this daring book has challenged me to think about queer theory and race in insightful and unexpected ways, and to rethink the assumptions of my own work. The perverse readings that the book offers of several crucial moments in recent history (Jeff Dahmer, O.J. Simpson) are startling, as are the connections that the book makes--very courageous, very exciting, very pleasurable.

Rating:
Summary: A Queer Ethnic Consciousness
Review: Queer Race is a sophisticated, powerful book that explores the sexual/racial perspective overlooked in contemporary queer theory. Dr. Ian Barnard examines crucial moments in popular culture; in doing so, his chapters on Jeffrey Dahmer and Gloria Anzaldua are remarkable. His keen diction and compelling style are aesthetically refreshing. Queer Race is a must read for anyone who desires a racial/queer analysis of our homogenized society.