1st Edition

Geographies of Sexualities Theory, Practices and Politics

By Jason Lim, Kath Browne Copyright 2007
    278 Pages
    by Routledge

    Recent years have seen a dramatic upsurge of interest in the connections between sexualities, space and place. Drawing established and 'founding' figures of the field together with emerging authors, this innovative volume offers a broad, interdisciplinary and international overview of the geographies of sexualities. Incorporating a discussion of queer geographies, Geographies of Sexualities engages with cutting edge agendas and challenges the orthodoxies within geography regarding spatialities and sexualities. It contains original and previously unpublished material that spans the often separated areas of theory, practices and politics. This innovative volume offers a trans-disciplinary engagement with the spatialities of sexualities, intersecting discussions of sexualities with issues such as development, race, gender and other forms of social difference.

    Contents: Introduction, or why have a book on geographies of sexualities?, Gavin Brown, Kath Browne and Jason Lim. Section 1 Theories: From lesbian and gay to queer geographies: pasts, prospects and possibilities, Larry Knopp; Sexuality, the erotic and geography: epistemology, methodology and pedagogy, Jon Binnie; Health/sexuality/geography, Vincent J. Del Casino Jr.; Queer critique and the politics of affect, Jason Lim; Developmental desire and/or transitional jouissance: re-formulating sexual subjectivities in transcultural contact zones, Hanna Hacker; Fucking geography, again, David Bell. Section 2 Practices: Playing with restraints: space, citizenship and BDSM, R.D.K. Herman; Queer mixed race? Interrogating homonormativity through Thai interraciality, Jinthana Haritaworn; Drag queens and drab dykes: deploying and deploring femininities, Kath Browne; The queer unwanted and their undesirable 'otherness', Mark E. Casey; Straights in a gay bar: negotiating boundaries through time-spaces, Tatiana Matejskova; Between transgression and complicity (or: can the straight guy have a queer eye?), Phil Hubbard. Section 3 Politics: Pussies declawed: unpacking the politics of a queer women's bathhouse raid, Catherine Jean Nash and Alison L. Bain; Religion, identity and activism: queer Muslim diasporic identities, Farhang Rouhani; HIV+bodyspace: AIDS and the queer politics of future negotiation in Aotearoa/New Zealand, Matthew Sothern; Autonomy, affinity and play in the spaces of radical queer activism, Gavin Brown; Counting on queer geography, Michael Brown; Conclusions and future directions, or our hopes for geographies of sexualities (and queer geographies), Jason Lim, Kath Browne and Gavin Brown; Bibliography; Index.

    Biography

    Kath Browne is Lecturer in the School of the Environment, University of Brighton, UK. Jason Lim is Lecturer in Geography at the University of Brighton, UK and Gavin Brown is at University of Leicester, UK

    'Over the past decade, there has been an explosion of interest in the geographies of sexuality. This timely and important collection highlights some of the key developments and debates in this new and exciting field of study. It should be essential reading for anyone interested in understanding contemporary sexualities.' Diane Richardson, Newcastle University, UK 'This collection offers a refreshing new take on how the "queer" is being thought, lived, and loved by scholars at the leading edge of sexuality research in geography. The way that the editors have sutured the breadth of theoretical and empirical scholarship that is collected, promises to ignite considerably more dialogue among those working in and across racialised sexuality formations. Both retrospective and prospective, the collection provides readers with a wonderfully balanced sense of a sub-discipline concerned with making socio-spatiality central to understandings of love and desire.' Heidi J. Nast, DePaul University, USA 'The authors of this edited book are queer-theory geographers from the US, Canada, the UK, and Austria...Recommended.' Choice 'This book will undoubtedly prove to be a key staging post in unraveling the mysteries of the geographies of sexualities and will be a key reference point for those wishing to engage in such endeavors.' Social & Cultural Geography 'Geographies of Sexualities is a timely and engaging volume that highlights the key questions and tensions in the field. Most of the contributors engage, to some extent, with queer theory, often critiquing the gap between what it offers and what it delivers, providing a collection of thought-provoking and ambitious essays.' Sociology