Dr. Susan Burgess
Join the Center for Law, Justice & Culture for the book launch of LGBTQ Politics: A Critical Reader on Tuesday March 6 from 4:30 to 6 p,m, in Baker 231.
This new book from Dr. Susan Burgess, Professor of Political Science, brings together a series of essays on queer politics. LGBTQ Politics: A Critical Reader, co-edited with Marla Brettschneider (University of New Hampshire) and Christine Keating (University of Washington), is available from NYU Press.
The March 6 event features Burgess, and Heath Fogg Davis, a contributor to the book and Associate Professor of Political Science at Temple University.
Co-editors Brettschneider and Keating will join the panel discussion via Skype.
The 30 essays in the volume analyze various aspects of the movement, addressing LGBTQ politics in the context of issues, including activism, law, coalition building, erotics, technology, marriage and families, globalism, intersections with other progressive movements, the politics of political science professional associations, teaching issues, public opinion, and visions for the future.
The book offers the first collection of essays on LGBTQ politics written by scholars across the various subfields of political science as it is studied in the United States, including comparative politics, political theory, American politics, public law, and international relations.
“How have people gone about that and how has it changed what we assumed we knew in political science?” said Burgess. “How does what we know about political science change the way we study LGBTQ politics?”
- Political Science’s Burgess Writes New Book on LGBT Politics
- New Book on LGBTQ Politics from Political Science’s Burgess
In 2016, Burgess also wrote A Guide to Radical Politics in the United States, in which she dispels the notion that there is no place for radical politics within the U.S. context by covering ten areas on both the left and the right of the political spectrum.
“A lot of people think radical politics isn’t something that happens in U.S. politics, but that’s really not quite right,” Burgess said. “There are certain times when we see it more than others, but radical politics has really shaped mainstream politics in the United States. If you think about things like minimum wage or access to birth control or abolition of slavery or women voting, these were all once radically wild ideas. People thought, ‘Never will that happen in a million years.’”
Burgess studies American politics, including law and courts, radical politics, gender and sexuality, and popular culture. She is the author of The CQ Guide to Radical Politics in the United States (with Kate Leeman, CQ/SAGE); The New York Times on Gay and Lesbian Issues (CQ/SAGE); and The Founding Fathers, Pop Culture, and Constitutional Law: Who’s Your Daddy? (Ashgate) and Contest for Constitutional Authority: The Abortion and War Powers Debates (Kansas). Her work has also appeared in a wide variety of academic journals.
The recipient of several departmental and university-wide awards for excellence in teaching, Burgess teaches a wide variety of classes including: Introduction to U.S. Politics, Civil Liberties; Legal Theory and Social Problems; The Politics of Law and Sexuality; Sexuality and Queer Theories; and LGBTQ Politics (online).
Burgess and her co-editors are currently organizing a teaching collective on LGBTQ politics and related issues. Faculty in the collective drawn from various universities and colleges across the world will be sharing resources, ideas, approaches. Many plan to teach LGBTQ politics (or a related course) in Spring 2018, either in person or online, kicking off a collaborative effort that will link teacher-scholars into a vibrant network for years to come.
“I really love to teach, I always have,” said Burgess, who is in her 30th year of teaching. “One of the great things about being a teacher is I get to be with younger people who are just getting exposed to new ideas. Its so exciting to remember how that was and to be with people as they start to develop their own ways of critical thinking.”
Her involvement teaching in both the Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies program and the Political Science Department has developed Burgess’ regard for interdisciplinary study, one of the reasons she praises the Center for Law, Justice & Culture.
“It’s great to have an interdisciplinary center for the study of law,” Burgess said. “That really makes a difference for the students, and for the faculty, too. It just enriches what we’re doing in the classes that I teach.”
Outside of academia, Burgess worked in conjunction with a group of individuals to create a women’s fund within the Athens Foundation. This fund, which focuses on giving grants to nonprofits in the area that address the needs of women and children, has raised almost $250,000 since its creation in 2006, and is on its way to becoming endowed.
Davis is a professor and scholar-activist whose research concerns identity involving administration and anti-discrimination law.
His advocacy aims to help transgender and non-conforming gender identities as well as communities of color and low-income people.
During his visit to the OHIO campus, Davis will deliver a public lecture on his recently published book, Beyond Trans: Does Gender Matter?
Davis’ public lecture will take place on Monday, March 5 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Athena Theater.
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