The 'queer' in conflict research as subject, structure, and method : initial epistemological considerations for the early career researcher

Abstract

A tension in queer theory is whether queering a subject matter simply requires a renewed focus on non-hegemonic sexual orientations and gender identities or whether there’s a certain epistemological approach required to redress the epistemic violence present in disciplines devoid of queer and trans subjectivities. For students and scholars of political violence, this tension persists in not only how they design their research, but also how they pitch their contributions to a given literature. This chapter investigates the tensions between discipline, epistemology, and method as it relates to studies at the intersection of queer studies and political violence. It proposes an expansive queer epistemological approach that recognizes the layered knowledge regimes that impact the lives of queer and trans people, running the gambit of positivism to post-modernism. And it reinforces Matt Brim’s assertion that ‘the project of queer theory is to explore and respond to the universe of queer need, including the need to reimagine the universe of queer need’.