Dr. Susan Burgess
A 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 advance of civil rights for LGBTQ people is among the most significant political changes of the last two decades. During that same time, the study of LGBTQ politics has become a growth area within political science.
The 30 essays in the volume analyze various aspects of the movement, addressing LGBTQ politics in the context of a 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.
As recently as 20 years ago, research on LGBTQ political issues was scant, and formal recognition of LGBTQ professional interests was virtually nonexistent. Taking note of the growth in this area, Burgess, along Angelia Wilson of Manchester University, co-created in 2007 “Politics and Sexuality,” a new organized section in the American Political Science Association. The first president of the new section, Professor Julie Novkov, describes the volume from Burgess and her co-editors as “a sterling achievement” that “illustrates both the independent importance of LGBTQ politics and the ways that understanding LGBTQ politics challenges and strengthens the discipline of political science.”
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.
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).
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