Queer theory and posthumanism

Question 1

What are key notions of Queer Theory?

Answer 1

an approach to literary and cultural study that rejects traditional categories of gender and sexuality

Historical origins
•Lesbian feminism
•Gay studies
•Established as anacademic field in the 1990s
•Deconstruction of “violent hierarchies” (hetero/homo)
•Anti-essentialism: opposition to fixed identities
•Politics of identity: gender and sexuality are performances rather than absolutes

Question 2

What are key notions of posthumanism?

Answer 2

Challenging anthropocentrism
is the belief that human beings are the most important entity in the universe. Anthropocentrism interprets or regards the world in terms of human values and experiences.
•Contesting the human/non-human dyad
•Acknowledging reciprocity:
the mutual dependence, action, or influence