"Sacramental Criticism" Annual Queer Theory Lecture

This talk introduces the religious concept of the sacramental as an analytical method that addresses major impasses in queer theory. Drawing on religious studies, I generalize the concept of sacrament beyond its roots in Catholic and Eastern Orthodox theology into a method of understanding that is embodied, ritualistic, and practical nature. A queer incorporation of sacramental orientations recognizes desires, bodies, and fantasies disavowed by the stridently secular theoretical roots of queer theory. Moreover, it provides a way to revisit the possibility of imagining a totality that resonates with the ways that queer theory has risked in other modes. In so doing, a queer sacramental analytic attends to both the demands of queer critique¿s historical, materialist orientations and its more ideational philosophical impulses. Thus, this talk applies a queer reading of sacramentality as a form of knowledge that resonates with contemporary queer theory, yet in ways that disrupts our expectations of what theory can and should do.The annual Queer Theory lecture is given in honor of Eve Sedgwick's ground-breaking work at Duke. Sponsored by the program in the study of sexualities and co-sponsored by Women's Studies. 4:30 pm Nelson Music Room Reception to follow.