queer theory

Queer theory is a field of post-structuralist critical theory which is broadly associated with the study and theorization of gender and sexual practices that exist outside heterosexuality, and which challenge heteronormativity. Following social constructionist developments in sociology, queer theorists are often critical of what they consider essentialist views of sexuality and gender. Instead, they study those concepts as social and cultural phenomena, often through an analysis of the categories, language, and binary oppositions in which they are portrayed.

It emerged in the early 1990s out of queer studies (formerly often known as gay and lesbian studies) and women's studies. As an academic discipline, queer theory itself was developed by American feminist scholars Judith Butler and Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick. Other scholars associated with the development of queer theory are French post-structuralist philosopher Michel Foucault, and American feminist author Gloria Anzaldúa.