Queer Theory

A relatively young subfield in the broader communication discipline, queer theory has become a useful tool with which to approach the analysis of communication processes and artifacts. As early as the beginning of the 18th century, the word queer was used to denote a form of deviation from the norm, and usually carried with it a negative connotation. Queer was a descriptive term that was assigned to actions (particularly behaviors tied to sex and sexuality) deemed indecent in the eyes of the public. However, through the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, the term has evolved beyond its ties to questionable or suspicious behavior and into an overarching category for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender sexual identities and performances. Though the term still largely refers to sex and gender identities that deviate from the norm (i.e., heterosexuality), those identifying as queer or who use the term queer as a mode of analysis have attempted to shed the sociopolitical baggage of the term’s troubled past, embracing the marker of difference that can productively complicate the trappings of the heteronormative paradigm.

With troubled origins and a fractured present, identifying and discussing the various conceptual components of queer theory is no easy task. Queer operates as a noun, an adjective, and as a verb. One can be a queer person, behave in ways labeled as queer, and as contemporary theorists have shown, it is possible for one to analytically queer traditional notions of sex, gender, and sexuality. A multifaceted term, queer became central to our understanding of sex and gender identity and performance in the private and public spheres of social discourse and naturally called forth for a means of theorizing.

The emergence of queer theory contributed to the politicization of identity in contemporary social movements. Participating productively in a discourse about queer theory requires exploration of how the term queer broadens and limits understanding of queer identities and the ways that queer is performed and interpreted in the public sphere. This entry provides a brief recounting of the development of queer theory, beginning with the foundations of queer theory, which stands in opposition to a heteronormative paradigm and extends into feminist discourses and gay and lesbian studies. The next step becomes explaining the divergent functions of queer as both a descriptor of sex and gender identity and performance, and as a theoretical analytic.