A Queer(er) Genocide Studies

Abstract

This paper examines how queerness interacts with and is implicated in traditional genocides, i.e. those directed at racial, religious, national, and ethnic groups - the groups defined as protected classes in the Genocide Convention. It poses the following question: How can scholars of Genocide Studies learn from the queer theory-Genocide Studies nexus? To answer, this paper demonstrate how three distinct queer theory concepts can be woven with Genocide Studies to reveal novel insights into some of the field’s preeminent questions. Specifically, it draws on queer intellectual curiosity, heteronormativity, and reproductive futurism. Connecting queer theory with Genocide Studies yields empirical, analytical, and normative insights into the latter. Deploying queer theory concepts in Genocide Studies ensures the field is more attentive to queer lives, something all academic disciplines should strive for, and advances the field’s understanding of genocide as a phenomenon.