Identity Poetics

Rating:
Summary: Not the usual suspects
Review: Garber is helping to chart a new critical lineage of feminist and lesbigay studies and activism. In contrast to the received histories of these movements, in which feminism and lesbian feminism are portrayed as white, middle-class exclusionary (and humorless!) movements ultimately betrayed by their own political correctness and tunnel vision, Garber presents a more dynamic, multi-dimensional view. She focuses in particular on the contributions of working class lesbians and lesbians of color to the development of both lesbian AND queer theories, thereby "decentering" the usual suspects.

Throughout, Garber's writing is accessible, and she makes her case for her alternative mapping of the relations between lesbian feminism and queer theory with great generosity. That is, even as she names names, she does so with grace. I highly recommend this book for classroom use, from LGBTQ and women's studies to American lit classes and even US history classes in which 1960s and 70s social movements are the focus.