The recovery of historically marginalized queer narratives is an important process that involves using various research methodologies to uncover hidden stories and experiences of individuals who identify as LGBTQ+. These methods include literary analysis, performance analysis, and archival research. In this article, I will discuss how each approach can be used effectively to retrieve these narratives.
Literary analysis involves examining written texts such as novels, short stories, poems, plays, and memoirs to uncover themes related to queer identity, desire, and experience. This method requires close reading skills and attention to language, tone, structure, and context. By analyzing how authors represent gender and sexuality, scholars can gain insights into historical attitudes towards queerness and the ways it has been expressed throughout history.
Virginia Woolf's "Orlando" explores the fluidity of gender and sexuality through its protagonist's transformation from male to female. Through close reading, scholars can identify patterns in Woolf's writing that reflect her own understanding of gender and sexuality, providing valuable information about how she viewed queerness during her time period.
Performance analysis involves studying the representation of queerness in live performances, including theatre, music, dance, and film. Scholars look at the body language, costumes, dialogue, and setting to understand how performers communicate ideas about gender and sexuality.
In "Paris Is Burning," a documentary about ballroom culture in New York City, drag performers express their identities through elaborate costumes and choreography, challenging traditional notions of masculinity and femininity. Performances like these can provide insight into how marginalized communities have used performance to assert their identities and resist societal norms.
Archival research entails searching for documents and artifacts that shed light on historically underrepresented narratives. Researchers may examine personal papers, diaries, letters, photographs, oral histories, and other sources to find hidden stories.
The archives of the Lesbian Herstory Archives contain materials related to lesbians and bisexual women who lived during the 20th century. These records offer insight into their experiences, relationships, and activism, which would otherwise be lost to history.
All three methods are essential in recovering historically marginalized queer narratives. By examining literary texts, performances, and archival materials, we can uncover previously unknown stories and gain new perspectives on the past.
Each approach requires different skills and tools, and scholars must choose the method most suited to their research question and available resources.
Which research methodologies are most effective for recovering historically marginalized queer narratives from literary, performance, and archival sources?
There is no single approach that is universally recognized as the most effective methodology for uncovering hidden or marginalized LGBTQ+ stories in literature, performance art, and historical records. Researchers must consider various factors such as the cultural context of the source material, the specific language used, and the social constructs surrounding gender and sexuality during the time period under study.