Reflections on queer pedagogy

Recently I wrote two book chapters about what it means to me to be queer and teach international relations. I have done so in community with a number of other folks, Caitlin Biddolph, Samuel Ritholtz and Fernando Serrano-Amaya.

I hope these resources (in the citations) and reflections (in the conversations) prove useful to others who are in the position of doing the same. At a time when there are increasing attacks on trans people, it is more important than ever to prioritize their voices and experiences as a dimension of gender studies in the politics classroom.

Queer Theory “Teaching Queer International Relations Theory: A Conversation on Queer Activism, Politics, and Hope in the International Relations Classroom” (with Caitlin Biddolph) In: Frueh, J., Ala, J., Murphy, M.P., Diehl, P.F. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook on the Pedagogy of International Relations Theory. Political Pedagogies. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2024

Teaching Queer International Relations Theory means getting creative, and learning outside of the International Relations classroom. Neither of the chapter's authors teach courses exclusively about Queer Theory, and instead integrate Queer Theory throughout their teaching. For Jamie, research and teaching with a queer lens is motivated by being a queer lesbian committed to a feminist emancipatory practice. For Caitlin, Queer Theory allows her, as a White, straight cis woman, to both challenge the various gendered, sexual, and racial hierarchies and scrutinize the (dis)comforts and privileges she herself embodies, in search of a feminist and queerer vision of global politics. Queer Theory resists definition, and so the authors deliberately do not define it in this chapter. Instead, they offer their lived experiences and visions of what teaching Queer Theory means to them, that is, an approach, politics, and activism that is plural and grounded in the lived experiences of queer folks.

Queer pedagogies: insights for the international studies classroom from an international perspective. (with Serrano-Amaya, F., & Ritholtz, S. (2024). ) In H. A. Smith, M. A. Boyer, & D. J. Hornsby (Eds.), Oxford handbook of international studies pedagogy (pp. 132-149). Oxford University Press, 2023

Most pedagogical interventions default to heteronormative and cisnormative assumptions, marginalizing queer and trans perspectives, literatures, and experiences. This chapter considers both the political risk as well as transformative potential of “queer pedagogy.” Central to debates about how to teach lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) topics in the international studies classroom are definitional questions related to what issues are “LGBTQ,” and how to adopt an inclusive pedagogical approach. This chapter explores the politics of queer pedagogy, the queer politics of studying sexuality in the international studies classroom, and how engaging in a queer pedagogy in teaching IR relates to the push for queer inclusion on campuses. Finally, the chapter reflects on the backlash faced by those doing this work in higher education today.