Literature Review of Queer Theory
Introduction
As being developed by poststructuralism, feminism, lesbian & gay studies and even American pragmatist theory (Parker,2001; Seidman,1997), queer theory has become one of the most important theories, which contributes to the research of sociology, arts and organizations. On the one hand, queer theory has been used to study the relations between the sexuality, gender and workplace. On the other hand, by utilizing denaturalized, deconstructive and performative methods to queer the presumptions of the taken-for-granted norms, queer theorists question and disprove the traditions which people cherish (Seidman,1995).
The purpose of this review is to narrate and provide the details of published academic studies about the contributions that queer theorists have made to the research of management. In the fist part, the features of queer theory, such as, sexuality and gender are culturally and historically constructed, identity is not fixed but fluid and norms, especially the taken-for-granted binaries of gender and sexuality, are disrupted, will be introduced. Then the contributions of the queer theory to the study of management will be specifically discussed. This part can be divided into three sections. Firstly, queer theory provides an alternative way for advancing management research both in academics and in everyday practice. Secondly, queer theorists provide a kind of language that can explain the previous unspoken phenomenon. Thirdly, queer theory can be useful for diversity management, especially in setting up a welcomed and opened workplace for lesbians and gays. In the last part, the limitations of queer theory will be analyzed, for example, queer theory is too abstract to put into practice; the destabilized approach which queer theorists insist will result in the segregation of people and queer theorists may ignore the studies of lesbians.
Main characteristics of queer theory
Queer theory emerged during the 1990s, focusing on not only
As being developed by poststructuralism, feminism, lesbian & gay studies and even American pragmatist theory (Parker,2001; Seidman,1997), queer theory has become one of the most important theories, which contributes to the research of sociology, arts and organizations. On the one hand, queer theory has been used to study the relations between the sexuality, gender and workplace. On the other hand, by utilizing denaturalized, deconstructive and performative methods to queer the presumptions of the taken-for-granted norms, queer theorists question and disprove the traditions which people cherish (Seidman,1995).
The purpose of this review is to narrate and provide the details of published academic studies about the contributions that queer theorists have made to the research of management. In the fist part, the features of queer theory, such as, sexuality and gender are culturally and historically constructed, identity is not fixed but fluid and norms, especially the taken-for-granted binaries of gender and sexuality, are disrupted, will be introduced. Then the contributions of the queer theory to the study of management will be specifically discussed. This part can be divided into three sections. Firstly, queer theory provides an alternative way for advancing management research both in academics and in everyday practice. Secondly, queer theorists provide a kind of language that can explain the previous unspoken phenomenon. Thirdly, queer theory can be useful for diversity management, especially in setting up a welcomed and opened workplace for lesbians and gays. In the last part, the limitations of queer theory will be analyzed, for example, queer theory is too abstract to put into practice; the destabilized approach which queer theorists insist will result in the segregation of people and queer theorists may ignore the studies of lesbians.
Main characteristics of queer theory
Queer theory emerged during the 1990s, focusing on not only