Bøker utgitt av Fordham University Press

Examines the need to recenter the category of sex - theorizing sex itself as nonbinary - in contemporary studies of gender and sexuality Gender has largely replaced sex as a category in critical theory, in progressive cultural circles, and in everyday bureaucratic language. Much of this development has been salutary. Gender has become a crucial site for theorizing trans identifications and embodiments. Yet, without a concomitant theory of sex, gender's contemporary uses also intersect with late neoliberalism's emphasis on micro-identities, flexibility, avatar culture, and human capital. Contemporary culture has also grown more ambivalent about sexual desire and its expression. Sex is seen as both ubiquitous and ubiquitously a problem. In Defense of Sex theorizes sex as both a nonbinary form of embodiment (one that can complement recent trans conceptions of gender as multiple and nonbinary) and a crucial form of social desire. Drawing on intersex and trans theory as well as Marxist theory, feminist new materialism, psychoanalysis, and accounts of the flesh in Black studies, author Christopher Breu argues for a materialist understanding of embodiment and the workings of desire as they structure contemporary culture. Moving from critique to theorizing embodiment, desire, and forms of bioaccumulation, In Defense of Sex concludes by proposing the unabashedly utopian project of building a sexual and embodied commons.

In a bid to wean himself off Facebook and Twitter, media scholar and cultural theorist Dominic Pettman decided to revive an ancient custom. He decided to tell the local bees of his thoughts, theories, musings, and meditations. The result was an apian journal that parses the daily news and the routines of modern life in a more sustained and reflective way than the Pavlovian posts to which we are so addicted. The account that emerges from Pettman's regular discussion with the bees forms a compelling portrait of the tumultuous period running from the Fall of 2019 to New Year's Eve, 2022. What began as a reflection on the traumatic effects of an "unprecedented" presidency soon evolved into a real-time response to the equally extraordinary events of the pandemic and its aftermath. One key concern that emerges from Pettman's ongoing discussion with the bees is the extent to which, thanks to the alienating effects of neoliberalism, we were already engaged in an advanced form of social distancing long before anyone had heard of COVID. Other key themes include education, human-animal relations, climate change, mediated intimacy, attention ecologies, collective memory, slow violence, the self-fulfilling prophecy that is New York City, the never-ending end of history, and the mundane strategies we share in a bid to forge on, despite the accumulating challenges of the twenty-first century. Telling the Bees is an invitation to rediscover the art of reflection and a profound meditation on human connection, alienation, and our collective yearning for intimacy in an age of distance. Through what Pettman describes as an "interspecies monologue," readers are treated to a unique perspective on navigating the complexities of the twenty-first century, inspired by the ingenuity and resilience of our natural cohabitants

A revealing exploration of domestic fascism in the United States from the 1930s to the January 6th insurrection in Washington, D.C. In 1951, the Civil Rights Congress presented to the United Nations We Charge Genocide, a more than two-hundred-page petition that held the United States accountable for genocide against African Americans. This landmark text represented the dawn of Black Lives Matter and is as relevant today as it was then, as evidenced by the rise of white supremacist groups across the nation, and the January 6th Capitol riot which disclosed the specter of a fascist revival in the U.S. Tracing this specter to its roots, We Charge Genocide! provides an original interpretation of American fascism as a permanent and longstanding current in U.S. politics dating to the origins of U.S. settler-colonialism. Picking up where Angela Davis's 1971 essay, "Political Prisoners, Prisons, and Black Liberation," left off, We Charge Genocide! reveals how the United States legal system has contributed to the growth of fascist states and fascist movements domestically and internationally. American Studies scholar Bill V. Mullen contends that the preservation of a white supremacist world order--and the prevention of revolutionary threats to that order--structure the discourse and practice of U.S. fascism. He names this fascist modality the "counterrevolution of race" in tribute to the radicals on the American Left, such as George Jackson, Angela Davis, Herbert Marcuse, and the Black Panther Party, who perceived the American state's destruction of revolutionary groups and ideas as a distinctive form of American fascism. Mullen argues that U.S. law, particularly U.S. "race law," has been an enabling mechanism for modalities of fascist rule that have locked historic blocs of non-white populations into an iron cage of legal and extralegal violence. To this end We Charge Genocide! offers a legal historiography of U.S. fascism rooted in law's capacity to legitimate and sustain racial domination. By recovering the legacy of important organizations, such as the Civil Rights Congress and Black Panther Party, which have both theorized and resisted American legal fascism, Mullen demonstrates how their work and critical theorists like Davis, Marcuse, Jackson, Walter Benjamin and Ernst Fraenkel illuminate the threat of American legal fascism to its most vulnerable racialized victims of state violence in our time, including gender and transgender violence.

A fictional manual to help disrupt today's all-too-real energy and climate emergencies The Energy Emergency Repair Kit (E.E.R.K.) is a collaboratively-authored research-creation intervention that explores myriad ecological, cultural, and political resonances of the three concepts named in its title: energy; emergency; repair. The E.E.R.K combines image, text, and sound to riff on the idea of a repair manual--that staple genre of self-help and self-making--while exploring energy emergency and energy emergence in several entangled registers. Created collectively by artists, designers, and scholars working and living at various places on Turtle Island, the E.E.R.K. offers a host of situated activities and speculative probes designed to respond to today and tomorrow's energy emergencies. The kit intermingles diagrammatic designs with instructional convolutions and perplexing protocols that supply non-programmatic yet highly pragmatic means for navigating, communicating, operating, and undoing the investments that have come to overdetermine energetic relations in the past, present, and future. Triggered most immediately by the pandemic moment circa 2020, with its strangely intermittent and inscrutable convolutions of fossil-fueled business-as-usual, the E.E.R.K. reflects and reckons the long-roiling and fully chronic energy emergency orchestrated over several centuries by racial-fossil capitalism's mass production of injustices. The E.E.R.K. positions energy as more than just a resource to be exploited and managed, more than an infrastructural obstacle to overcome, more than fuel for the nightmares that lie ahead (or that are, in too many cases, already here). As a generative, multitudinous fabulation, the E.E.R.K. probes energetic networks--the bonds of endeavour; the glow of affection; the pulse of attunement; the drive of subtraction; the charge of uncertainty; the resilience of exhaustion; the obstinacy of making do; the shadow of fossils; the pull of futurity; the zeroes and ones; the force of an otherwise--that, together, seem to compose the circuits of energy emergency now.

A profound exploration into the spiritual beliefs and practices of Seattle's unhoused youth Soul Woundedness is an intimate, piercing book about everyday life for young adults living on the streets of Seattle. Based on over five years of research and as a participant-observer, Paul Houston Blankenship-Lai presents the personal experiences of "street kids," highlighting how their spiritual beliefs and practices offer them comfort, a sense of community, and a feeling of belonging amidst their struggles. They also demonstrate how spirituality on the streets can alienate people from themselves and the world. The stories Blankenship-Lai tells here are about how social wounds go soul deep, and how seemingly antireligious spiritual practices, fashioned in an almost unlivable local world, help people create a life still worth living. By paying deep, sustained attention to what spirituality is like on the streets and what difference it makes, Blankenship-Lai uncovers an important, overlooked dimension in the experience and study of homelessness. They invite us to enter these stories and to question how our own spiritual and otherwise practices can help create "a more loving love." Aimed at a diverse audience, Soul Woundedness is a book not merely to educate but to transform. It is particularly relevant for those interested in spirituality's role in addressing social inequities and underscores the importance of spiritual practices in overcoming adversity and promoting social change, making a compelling case for a world where everyone has a place to call home.

A primer for those with no previous knowledge of Chinese, this book introduces readers to the fundamentals of classical Chinese poetry through twenty-nine ways of understanding a single poem. "Seeing Off a Friend," by the great Tang poet Li Bai (701-762) has long been praised for its vividness, subtlety, and poignancy. Anthologizing twenty-nine translations of the poem, Timothy Billings not only introduces the poem's richness and depth but also the nuanced art of translating Chinese poetry into European languages. A famous exemplar of "seeing off poetry," which was common in an empire whose literati were continually on the move, Li's poem has continued to fascinate readers far removed from its moment of composition, from the Victorians, to Ezra Pound, to contemporary translators from around the world. In talking us through these linguistic crossings, Billings unpacks the intricacies of the lüshi or "regulated verse poem," a form as pivotal to Chinese literature as the sonnet is to European tradition. This book promises to transform its readers, step-by-step, into adept interpreters of one of the most significant verse forms in Chinese literary history. Billings's engaging teaching style, backed by a lightly worn but deep scholarly engagement with Chinese poetry, makes this work an indispensable guide for anyone interested in poetry, translation, or the cultural heritage of China.

A New Perspective on Spirituality and Social Change as seen through the work of Six Visionary Thinkers In Liberating Spiritualities, Christopher D. Tirres offers an in-depth exploration of spirituality as a catalyst for social transformation, showcasing the profound insights of six distinguished twentieth-century liberation thinkers from across the Américas. This thought-provoking work examines the contributions of Marxist philosopher José Carlos Mariátegui, renowned educator and philosopher Paulo Freire, innovative constructive theologian Virgilio Elizondo, influential cultural and feminist theorist Gloria Anzaldúa, activist mujerista theologian and social ethicist Ada María Isasi-Díaz, and groundbreaking ecofeminist theologian Ivone Gebara. Tirres examines the distinct yet interconnected philosophies of these figures, showcasing their unified critique of colonial Christendom and their deep commitment to the marginalized. He adeptly articulates how their diverse religious and philosophical backgrounds come together in a shared vision of spirituality as a fundamental aspect of human life and intelligence. He further illuminates how these thinkers advocate for spirituality as a non-reductive, life-affirming practice, transcending traditional boundaries and offering an integrated approach to faith, culture, and social justice. Their collective insights form a persuasive case for re-envisioning spirituality as a crucial element in the quest for a more just and compassionate world. Liberating Spiritualities is not only a tribute to these six influential figures but also a critical reflection on the relevance of their ideas in today's global context. Tirres's transdisciplinary study bridges liberationist and pragmatic insights, offering readers a fresh, highly original interpretation of socially engaged spirituality, making this book an essential resource for those seeking to understand the transformative power of spirituality in the pursuit of social justice and human dignity.

A moving journey through the shadows of queer suicide and a tribute to lives marked by struggle and beauty. The Lamentations explores the struggles and resilience within the queer community, offering a unique blend of historical analysis and emotional tribute to those affected. Author Patrick Anderson examines the phenomenon of queer suicide across various art forms such as film, theatre, and literature, tracing its evolution from the twentieth century to today. Anderson brings to light the personal stories of individuals in the queer community who have ended their lives, compiling narratives from sources like newspaper articles, obituaries, and case studies. The book confronts the harsh realities of loneliness, shame, and oppression faced by many LGBTQ+ individuals, providing a poignant reflection on the societal challenges they face. The Lamentations is more than a meditation on death; it's a narrative of survival, mourning, and healing. Sharing personal accounts, including the losses of loved ones and friends, Anderson highlights the importance of memory and storytelling in celebrating the vibrancy of queer life amidst the sorrow of loss. Accessible to a broad readership, the book transcends academic boundaries to address themes of love, loss, and the human spirit. It's a compelling read for anyone interested in queer studies or anyone seeking to understand human experience through the lens of loss and legacy.