About this event

This lecture asks us to think about how the queer and trans past has often been drawn upon to make a series of claims about liberal democracy itself, including the place of identity in rights-based discourses of experience, policy and governance. Drawing on lessons from German history, Professor Evans argues that in celebrating decriminalization and the attainment of key social rights, we have forgotten that not everyone benefited equally from these gains, as in fact there were many different forms of solidarity and struggle. Using kinship as an analytic category allows us to uncover that phenomenon, to seek out the fraught as well as productive ways in which Germans have confronted race, gender nonconformity, and sexuality in social movements, art and everyday life. The lecture therefore tells the story of entanglements and alliances, desire over respectability, and good and bad kin, as queer and trans people have tested new possibilities for life, love and family life in the modern era.

Event information

Guests can join this event in person at Avenue Campus, University of Southampton, or online. Please select your ticket choice when booking.

We encourage guests who wish to join in person to register at your earliest opportunity as spaces are strictly limited.

If you have any questions about this event please contact fahevent@soton.ac.uk.