Queer Democracy: Desire, Dysphoria, and the Body Politic

Queer Democracy critically investigates the metaphor of society as a body, drawing on queer and transgender accounts of embodiment to reimagine politics and society. It argues that the conception of embodiment at the heart of this metaphor is a fantasy, leading to the suppression of dissent. Queer Democracy proposes that social bodies' essential queerness, defined by fluidity and lack of a fixed morphology, spawns queer democracy, expressed through ongoing social and political practices that aim to extend liberty and equality to new social domains.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 266 pages
Publication date: 26 August 2021
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Queer Democracy is a groundbreaking interdisciplinary exploration that delves into the centuries-old metaphor of society as a body, drawing upon queer and transgender accounts of embodiment as a valuable resource for reimagining politics and society. In his compelling argument, Daniel Miller contends that this metaphor has consistently expressed a longing for social and political order, rooted in the imagined normative shape or morphology of the social body. Throughout history, from the "concord" discourses of pre-Christian Stoics to contemporary nationalism and populism, this metaphor has consistently resulted in the suppression of any dissent that challenges the presumed normativity of the social body. Miller argues that the conception of embodiment at the heart of this metaphor is a fantasy, and that the negative social and political reactions to dissent are visceral and dysphoric responses to its reshaping of the social body.

He further posits that the essential queerness of the social body, characterized by fluidity and a lack of fixed morphology, gives rise to queer democracy, which is expressed through ongoing social and political practices aimed at expanding liberty and equality to new social domains.

Queer Democracy represents a significant departure in the ongoing development of theoretical articulations linking queer and trans theory with political theory. This book will appeal to a wide range of readers, including academic scholars, activists, and non-academic enthusiasts engaged in research on political theory, populism, US religion, gender studies, and queer studies. By challenging the traditional understanding of society as a static and homogeneous entity, Queer Democracy offers a fresh perspective on the complex dynamics of power, identity, and social change. It encourages readers to think critically about the ways in which embodiment, gender, and sexuality shape political systems and institutions, and to explore new avenues for building more inclusive and equitable societies.

Weight: 418g
Dimension: 153 x 228 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367757700