The Specter of Materialism: Queer Theory and Marxism in the Age of the Beijing Consensus

Queer theory has shifted its focus from representation and performativity to dispossession, precarity, and the differential distribution of life chances. However, it is often reabsorbed into the liberal project of diversity management due to an incomplete understanding of capitalism's contemporary transformations, particularly in China. Petrus Liu's book "The Specter of Materialism" challenges key premises of classic queer theory and Marxism and proposes a new theory of the political economy of sexuality based on an analysis of the Beijing Consensus. He demonstrates how evolving US-Asian economic relations shape the emergence of new queer identities and academic theories, offering a transnational framework for understanding the nexus between queerness and material life.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 13 January 2023
Publisher: Duke University Press

In recent years, queer theory has undergone a significant shift, moving away from concerns with representation and performativity towards issues of dispossession, precarity, and the uneven distribution of life chances. While this shift has brought attention to marginalized communities, queer theory has often been subsumed within the broader framework of diversity management within liberal projects. Petrus Liu argues that this theoretical and political weakness stems from an incomplete understanding of the contemporary transformations of capitalism, particularly in China.

In his book, "The Specter of Materialism," Liu challenges key premises of classic queer theory and Marxism, instead turning to an analysis of the Beijing Consensus, the latest mutation of global capitalism. Through this lens, Liu explores how relations of gender and sexuality are reconfigured to meet the needs of capital in new regimes of accumulation and dispossession. He demonstrates how evolving US-Asian economic relations shape the emergence of new queer identities and academic theories.

Liu's work offers a fresh perspective on collective struggles, providing a transnational framework for understanding the nexus between queerness and material life. He challenges the notion that queerness is solely a product of Western cultural imperialism and highlights the ways in which it is shaped by local contexts and economic relations. By examining the experiences of LGBTQ+ communities in China, for example, Liu demonstrates how the country's rapid economic development has led to the emergence of new forms of queerness and activism.

Overall, "The Specter of Materialism" is a thought-provoking and important book that contributes to the ongoing debate about the relationship between sexuality, capitalism, and social change. Liu's analysis offers a new way of understanding the complex and multifaceted ways in which queerness is shaped by economic and political forces, and provides a valuable contribution to the field of queer studies.

Weight: 380g
Dimension: 153 x 234 x 17 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781478019428