Abstract
Co-editors Brennan and Gudelunas introduce RuPaul’s Drag Race (RPDR) by considering its unique place and unexpected success in reality/competition television. The authors situate RPDR within a framework of gender/drag performativity (Butler 1990) and camp sensibility (Newton 1972). Following, they account for RPDR’s elevation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) visibility through public and private queer histories. The authors discuss how RPDR has captivated American and global viewers – LGBTQ and straight – by portraying drag as art and profession via multiple un/official broadcast and digital spaces. They consider feminist/oppositional readings of RPDR, noting the fluidity of queer discourse in the current political landscape. Finally, they outline the main themes of the volume: representation and the boundaries of drag identity; drag, community and belonging; and drag, globalization and the social media landscape.
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References
Butler, J. (1990) Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversions of Identity. New York and London: Routledge.
Livingston, J. (1990) Paris Is Burning. Off White Productions.
Newton, E. (1972/1979) Mother Camp: Female Impersonators in America. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press.
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Brennan, N., Gudelunas, D. (2017). Drag Culture, Global Participation and RuPaul’s Drag Race . In: Brennan, N., Gudelunas, D. (eds) RuPaul’s Drag Race and the Shifting Visibility of Drag Culture. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50618-0_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50618-0_1
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Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-50617-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-50618-0
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