10. Please describe the field of queer studies. What does it critique? Give an example of a queer studies reading of a cultural text.
Queer Studies is the study of issues that deal with sexual orientation and gender identity. The various topics of scholarly study are scrutinized through the perspectives and perceptions of “queer” people in order to discover their connection within and between heterosexual society. In the simplest of terms, Queer studies is looking at the world both in the present and in the past, through the scope of the “queer” perspective. Similar to ethnic and cultural studies, queer studies deals with the societal implications and effects of being queer within a predominantly heterosexuality entails. Within queer studies, there is a harsh critique of the the heterosexual majority’s views of queer people, both as individuals and as a society. The ultimate aim of queer studies is to gain an analytical understanding of how gender identities and sexual orientation are defined within a largely heterosexual society. If the queer studies perspective were to be applied to The Fresh Prince of Bel Air it would seek to understand the series’ lack of queer representation. Within the show, there are allusions to queer behavior but they were never elaborated upon or validated beyond their shock value.
