Embodied Queer Epistemologies: A New Approach to (a Monstrous) Citizenship

Abstract

In this chapter meanings attached to monstrosity will be explored in light of queer critiques of the concept of citizenship. The first part of the chapter explores the notion of the monster, with a particular interest in queer readings of monstrosity. In that section, monsters will be unpacked against the backdrop of the archetype of the hero. Subsequently, the chapter focuses on the idea of citizenship and aims at recuperating its potential in the light of both contemporary queer critiques and evidence-based needs to strengthen formal recognition in times of anti-LGBTQI+ backlash. Finally, the notion of monstrous citizenship will be advanced as part of what I am suggesting be interpreted as an embodied turn in (queer) epistemologies.