Summary Of Queer Phenomenology

Intersectionality has been considered an essential aspect of feminist and queer theory, particularly within the last twenty years. Theorist began to recognize that without considering other avenues of oppression their ideas would only go so far and apply to a limited number of people. While recognition and application are innately different, both queer and feminist works have made real attempts to be more inclusive. Yet in many of the attempts made, there is a faltering in what it means to truly be intersectional. Simply mentioning race and class in addition to gender and sexuality is not enough. This can be seen even in Ahmed’s book, Queer Phenomenology: Orientations, Objects, Others, where she offers an innovative perspective on queerness and race as well as other identities through the use of phenomenology. However, due to her own background, Ahmed reproduces the very performativity she criticizes causing her to assume the power and possibility of racial reorientation as significantly more restricted than it truly is. Overcoming racism

Published in 2006, Queer Phenomenology emphasizes the consideration of numerous identities and clearly explains how this applies to race, class, and sexuality. Although not technically intersectionality, Ahmed’s examination of intersecting lines reflects the conscious effort made by queer and feminist theorists since the end of the twentieth century. In comparison, phenomenology, on which she bases her entire theory, comes out of existentialism. This too has a deep historical connection to feminist and queer theory, since it was from this philosophy that Simone de Beauvoir wrote The Second Sex. Ahmed reflects on numerous feminist theorists, such as Judith Butler, as well as historical philosophers, such as Immanuel Kant. Although main of these individuals had failed to examine race, the author is able to skillfully apply them to support her