The seminar _So Damn Afraid of Queerness…_ responds to the recent surge of neo-authoritarian attacks on the legitimacy of queer and trans lives in Austria and beyond. While these reactionary trends may appear to arise from a new political constellation, their underlying dynamics have deep historical roots. This course examines the power structures surrounding non-normative sexualities, structures that have existed partly since colonialism. Through an transdisciplinary approach, combining theoretical texts and artistic materials, we will explore how anxieties, alongside mechanisms of control and repression, shape sexual politics, revealing queerness as a challenge to systems of oppression.The course introduces conceptual tools such as moral panic (Stuart Hall), immunitas (Roberto Esposito), and materialist and psychoanalytic frameworks to understand the structural, material, and psychic dynamics of queer- and transphobia. We will trace sexuality as a site of colonial acquisition, medical experimentation, and an object of both horror and fascination. Amidst these oppressive histories, queerness takes shape as a creative force of indeterminacy, exceeding the confines of colonialism and empire. Through a multidimensional exploration informed by psychoanalytic, poststructuralist, materialist, and queer of color perspectives, queer and trans embodiments reveal themselves as acts of rebellion, collective resistance, and sites of queer world-making.Students are encouraged to engage critically and creatively, forging connections between texts and practices to contribute to a broader understanding of queerness and its radical implications.
Title So Damn Afraid of Queerness…
Description The seminar _So Damn Afraid of Queerness…_ responds to the recent surge of neo-authoritarian attacks on the legitimacy of queer and trans lives in Austria and beyond. While these reactionary trends may appear to arise from a new political constellation, their underlying dynamics have deep historical roots. This course examines the power structures surrounding non-normative sexualities, structures that have existed partly since colonialism. Through an transdisciplinary approach, combining theoretical texts and artistic materials, we will explore how anxieties, alongside mechanisms of control and repression, shape sexual politics, revealing queerness as a challenge to systems of oppression.The course introduces conceptual tools such as moral panic (Stuart Hall), immunitas (Roberto Esposito), and materialist and psychoanalytic frameworks to understand the structural, material, and psychic dynamics of queer- and transphobia. We will trace sexuality as a site of colonial acquisition, medical experimentation, and an object of both horror and fascination. Amidst these oppressive histories, queerness takes shape as a creative force of indeterminacy, exceeding the confines of colonialism and empire. Through a multidimensional exploration informed by psychoanalytic, poststructuralist, materialist, and queer of color perspectives, queer and trans embodiments reveal themselves as acts of rebellion, collective resistance, and sites of queer world-making.Students are encouraged to engage critically and creatively, forging connections between texts and practices to contribute to a broader understanding of queerness and its radical implications.
Learning Objective Students gain an understanding of the historical and contingent nature of everyday concepts such as sexuality, gender, and desire, learning to critically reflect on these within various power dynamics.