Reviews for A Critical Introduction to Queer Theory

The average rating for A Critical Introduction to Queer Theory based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2018-05-23 00:00:00 Doug Pennycook Might be more accurately titled as a Post-Structuralist Introduction to Queer Theory (althought QT might lean heavily in that direction anyway) I still don't feel as if it was really "critical". To me Critical means critiquing, in this case, other QTs but all Sullivan really does is juxtapose opposing viewpoints and leaves the question open ended, I don't really recall her definitively coming down on an issue (She does say things but if x is y then z) but the chapters always end open-ended, and maybe that's the point because "queer" is an open-ended term: the heterogeneity of the heteronormativity of society. The actual content of the book was good, it uses quite a few post-structuralist theorists and is ostensibly Foucaldian and to a lesser extent Deleuzian (in the intro she mentions the book being rhizomatic) but I do not really know enough to know if this book are those things (She does say power/knowledge a few times! that's foucault!). One thing that was interesting was how she positioned the poststructural viewpoint to a "humanist" subject. Pretty new to learning this but I suppose it makes sense if you read poststructuralist subject as antihumanist, and as a Foucaldian, I would assume this is what is happening? For an introduction it was good but this is probably more suited towards upper level undergrads, its not really that hard but some sentences can be confusing. Overall Sullivan does a good job explaining the concept she's using and why she's using it.

Review # 2 was written on 2019-06-21 00:00:00 Randy Schaefer Terrible. Typos in every other chapter. On top of that, after having read the passionate works of Dennis Altman and Mark Thompson this just comes off as dull, uninspired, dry, academic reading with no real care or spirit for the queer movement.