Wild Things: The Disorder of Desire

Jack Halberstam's book "Wild Things" explores how wildness has been linked to queerness and queer bodies in the 20th century, presenting it as an unbounded and unpredictable space that offers resistance to modernity's orderly impulses. He engages with various texts, practices, and cultural imaginaries to demonstrate how wildness can enable us to know and be in ways that challenge Euro-American notions of the modern liberal subject.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 29 October 2020
Publisher: Duke University Press

In his groundbreaking book, "Wild Things," Jack Halberstam explores an alternative history of sexuality by delving into the profound connections between wildness and queerness throughout the twentieth century. Halberstam conceptualizes the wild as an untamed and unpredictable realm that serves as a resistance to modernity's structured desires. Through his insightful analysis, Halberstam sheds light on the conventional sexual taxonomies that govern society, highlighting the ways in which radical queer practices and politics challenge and subvert these norms.

Throughout his exploration, Halberstam engages with a diverse range of texts, practices, and cultural imaginaries, drawing upon sources such as zombies, falconry, M. NourbeSe Philip's "Zong!" and Maurice Sendak's iconic "Where the Wild Things Are." By examining these diverse elements, Halberstam demonstrates how wildness offers a means to know and to exist in ways that defy Euro-American notions of the modern liberal subject.

In "Wild Things," Halberstam not only expands the horizons of queer theory but also encourages a broader reevaluation of wild thinking. He challenges readers to embrace the untamed aspects of themselves and to explore the possibilities of a more liberated and unconventional existence. Through his thought-provoking and provocative work, Halberstam offers a fresh perspective on the complexities of sexuality, identity, and the human experience, paving the way for new understandings and possibilities.

Weight: 362g
Dimension: 152 x 228 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781478011088