Two lecturers at the University College London (UCL) have received a research grant to “investigate the intersection of private law and queer theory” and hold a “Private Law Queerathon.”
UCL announced that Eden Sarid and Haim Abraham of and Eden Sarid will get a British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grant for their project “Queering Private Law.”
The project seeks to “challenge traditional legal assumptions” and “critically examine” law through a “queer lens.” In addition to creating an internet “research hub” for scholars interested in queering the law, the project will also hold a “Private Law Queerathon.” The Queerathon is intended to be a “participatory, brainstorming-style event” that promotes “collaborations between legal scholars and queer theorists.”
The project will also periodically hold a “Queering Private Law Workshop.” The first workshop was already held, and focused on critiquing private law (which is rooted in “economic rationality,” “advanc[ing] individuals’ autonomy and rights,” and “reli[ance] on binary norms and divisions”) through queer theory, which “emphasizes indeterminacy and social construction.”
That workshop lamented that “with few exceptions, queer theory has not been applied to critically analyse private law despite queer theory’s valuable explanatory power and tools for critique.” UCL’s press release stated:
“Through these efforts, we aim to create a stable network of queer private law scholars,” said Dr Sarid. “Alongside fostering new academic relationships and conversations, this project is aimed at generating fresh ideas to diversify education and research in private law, with a particular emphasis on LGBTQI+ and queer perspectives.”
Dr Abraham added: “Examining private law through a queer lens is essential now more than ever, as the backlash against the LGBTQI+ community requires thinking about new forms of protecting and advancing LGBTQI+ rights. Queering Private Law will help identify and challenge areas where private law inadvertently perpetuates discrimination and disadvantage, expose existing power structures, and ultimately help build a more nuanced, inclusive, and just legal system.”
Sarid has promoted queer theory in multiple law reviews, including the articles “Don’t Be a Drag, Just Be a Queen-How Drag Queens Protect Their Intellectual Property Without Law,” “A Queer Analysis of Intellectual Property,” and “Paternity, Protection, and Pirates: A Queer Theory Analysis of Intellectual Property Metaphors.”
Abraham’s previous work includes working at the Israeli State Attorney’s Office where he “focus[ed] on the country’s liability for harm caused by its defense forces.” His stated research interests include “critical theories” and tort law.
An archeologist at a state university in New York recently called for “explicitly queer science.” He argues that scientific research should be “explicitly queer” and “unabashedly value-laden and political in its aims.”
This assertion is found in a recent doctoral dissertation, “The Status of Queer Theories in Archaeology: An Ethnographic and Philosophical Exploration.”
It is authored by Binghamton University’s Nathan Klembara. He says researchers should “unshackle ourselves from heteronormative interpretations of the past” that undergird mainstream science and archeology.
At Saint Mary’s University in London, a researcher is working to inject “trans theory” into the study of international relations.
Cornell University has a class teaching “Queer Marxism.”
Wellesley College offers a “Queer Bible” course as part of its Jewish Studies program. It provides an “introduction to the Bible at the intersection of queer theory” and “biblical interpretation.”
Colleges have also offered courses on “Queering God” and “How To Be A Bitch.” Divinity schools have proclaimed that Jesus was “queer,” and have attacked marriage, capitalism, and monogamy.
The University of Chicago course “Queering God” questions if God is queer and explores what queerness has to do with the concept of God. “What does queerness have to do with Judaism, Christianity, or Islam?” the course description reads.
Occidental College offers the course “Black Queer Thought.” The course critiques “the demands of heteronormativity, white supremacy, patriarchy and capitalism.”
The University of California at Berkeley hosted a taxpayer-funded lecture on the “Queering of Agriculture.”
