Call for Papers
Is Queer Studies Passe?
MLA 2000, Washington D.C.
One-two page proposals for papers are welcome which explore the present
state of queer studies. The driving questions behind this special MLA
session include: in the wake of the many indictments (e.g., Lee Siegel's
attack in the _New Republic_ [11/9/98]; the qstudy-l scandal in _The Harvard
Gay & Lesbian Review_; etc.) that charge queer studies with excessiveness,
hedonism, or trendiness, has queer studies become in the eyes of some passe?
Has queer studies really gone too far? If the hype over queer studies has
in fact cooled down, what role should/must the discipline play in a sobered
academy?
Possible topics include:
-The queer studies boom and publishers: How has interest in the field
reflected trends in market interests?
-Queer studies and the job market: With the increasing demand for
generalists, have young scholars of queer studies fallen to the wayside due
to their specialization? Or has interest in the field merely slumped?
-Queer studies and interdisciplinary studies: How has the ghettoization of
much of queer studies in English departments negatively (or positively)
effected its success in other area studies?
-The excessiveness of queer studies/theory: Has the field gone too far?
Which claims have attracted the greatest attention/censure? Why?
-Rummaging through queer studies: If the field has overextended itself,
might certain claims and achievements be separated from others for the sake
of the field's future success?
-Queer studies and the classroom: Has the presence and success of queer
studies waxed or waned in the undergraduate classroom in the wake of its
high visibility? How might an application of the field's insights in the
classroom best manifest itself today?
Deadline for abstracts: March 24, 2000
Please send proposal by email to: Gary Schmidt (gbschmid@artsci.wustl.edu)
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