Susan Stryker and Dylan McCarthy Blackston, "The Transgender Studies Reader Remix" (Routledge, 2022)
Apr 24, 2023
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Susan Stryker and Dylan McCarthy Blackston discuss 'The Transgender Studies Reader Remix', showcasing 50 articles spanning transgender studies' evolution and intersection with feminist and queer theories. They highlight non-binary thinking, black feminist traditions, emotional depth, and speculate on the future of transgender studies amidst political challenges.
The Transgender Studies Reader Remix showcases the interdisciplinary nature of transgender studies, linking history with current directions and numerous academic fields.
Transgender studies emphasize the transformative power of redefining bodies and challenging fixed categories, suggesting a future of interdisciplinary activism and societal change.
Deep dives
Importance of Engaging in Transgender Studies
Transgender Studies Reader Remix delves into the interdisciplinary field of transgender studies, showcasing 50 articles that track its history and current directions. The conversations within transgender studies and its intersections with feminist theory, queer theory, black studies, history, and more are highlighted. The editors emphasize the importance of transgender studies as a field, emphasizing its range and critical issues.
Transformation of Gender and Humanity
The reader explores the transformative potential of transness, challenging societal norms by showing that bodies can redefine their meaning. Through works like "The Transsexual Empire" and analysis in Black feminist thought, a reimagining of embodiment and humanity beyond fixed categories is presented. It connects trans issues with critical race theory, hinting at a future emphasis on interdisciplinary approaches and activism to combat social injustices.
Significance of Speculation and Integration
Speculation in transgender studies envisions a future where boundaries around gender and personhood are challenged and reshaped. The reader brings together diverse voices and fields, creating suspension bridges for connecting trans studies with adjacent disciplines like Black feminist studies. It predicts future readers to foster more interconnected scholarship addressing pressing issues like access to healthcare and social justice advocacy.
Navigating Political Challenges and Scholarly Evolution
In the face of political adversity targeting transgender existence, the importance of engaging in thought-provoking discourse as a form of resistance is highlighted. A theoretical physicist's view intertwines with trans narratives, suggesting a paradigm shift towards a livelier universe. The future of transgender studies necessitates grappling with social injustices, healthcare disparities, and freedom to express ideas without fear of criminalization to ensure scholarly progression and societal well-being.
Hello, this is Eric LeMay, a host on the New Books Network. Today I interview Susan Stryker and Dylan McCarthy Blackston about The Transgender Studies Reader Remix (Routledge, 2023). This is a book that’s as big as it is rich. It brings together 50 previously published articles that track both the history and the current directions in the interdisciplinary field of transgender studies. The reader shows the conversations taking place not only within transgender studies but also between transgender studies and such fields as feminist theory, queer theory, Black studies, history, biopolitics, and the posthumanities. In our conversation, editors Stryker and Blackston gives us a sense of this range and also the crucial issues that inform the creation of the reader itself and the importance of transgender studies as a field. Blackston is an Assistant Professor of Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies in the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies at Appalachian State University. Stryker is Professor Emerita of Gender and Women’s Studies at the University of Arizona, founding co-editor of TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly, founding co-editor of Duke University Press’s ASTERISK book series, and co-editor of Routledge’s two previous transgender studies readers. And here’s our conversation.
Eric LeMay is on the creative writing faculty at Ohio University. He is the author of five books, most recently Remember Me. He can be reached at eric@ericlemay.org.