Description:
Bringing together a team of international scholars, this volume provides a foundational guide to queer methodologies in the study of political violence and conflict.
Contributors provide illuminating discussions on why queer approaches are important, what they entail and how to utilise a queer approach to political violence and conflict. The chapters explore a variety of methodological approaches, including fieldwork, interviews, cultural analysis and archival research. They also engage with broader academic debates, such as how to work with research partners in an ethical manner.
Including valuable case studies from around the world, the book demonstrates how these methods can be used in practice. It is the first critical, in-depth discussion on queer methods and methodologies for research on political violence and conflict.
Brief description: Samuel Ritholtz is Departmental Lecturer in International Relations at the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Oxford, in association with St Hilda's College. Previously, they were Part-time Assistant Professor and Max Weber Fellow in the Department of Political and Social Sciences at the European University Institute. Samuel earned their DPhil and MSc from the Refugee Studies Centre in the Department of International Development at the University of Oxford. Their research interests include contemporary political theories of violence, marginality, and war with a focus on LGBTIQ+ experiences of crisis, conflict, and displacement. They have held visiting research fellowships at the Hertie School (Centre for International Security) in Berlin and at the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá. They have worked for the United Nations, in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, as well as for human rights organizations in Washington DC, New York, and Buenos Aires. Samuel is the co-author of the forthcoming monograph, Toward a Queer Theory of Refuge. Their work has appeared in academic journals such as the American Political Science Review, Politics & Gender, and Global Studies Quarterly and in media outlets, such as the Guardian, the Washington Post, and Slate.
Review Quotes: "Through visual methods, poetry, workshops, archives, activist knowledge, and trauma-informed research, the volume consistently challenges conventional notions of rigorous research scholarship. It positions methodological innovations as integral to queer inquiry rather than an exception." LSE Review of Books