Why (Queer) History Matters: The Politics of History
Neglect and erasure of queer history has been the norm in all national histories until quite recently. In this conference we address how this highly problematic practice of history can also enable the eradication of LGBT+ rights in contemporary societies. For, in some places LGBT communities are seen as a national threat while in others, homo-tolerance is instrumentalized to build national self-identity. In both cases, interest in and knowledge of queer history is usually absent. In this conference we therefore ask: How are national histories cleansed of unwanted elements? What role does ignorance and censorship play? Can the lack of knowledge of queer history be fundamental to contemporary oppression of queers? If so, what can be done to preserve and disseminate queer histories?
In this conference we hear reflections and examples on how and why queer history matters in different contexts. Norway officially opened its national queer archive here in Bergen in 2015, and queer history is slowly starting to appear as a legitimate academic field in line with other academic fields of research also in Norway.
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Conference organizing committee
- Bjørn Enge Bertelsen, Professor of Social Anthropology at UiB and Executive Director of Global Research Programme on Inequality
- Siri Gloppen, Professor of Comparative Politics at UiB and Director of Centre on Law and Social Transformation
- Kari Jegerstedt, Associate Professor of Humanistic gender studies at UiB and Interim Head of Centre for Women's and Gender Research
- Heidi Rohde Rafto, Academic Librarian at UiB and The National Norwegian Archive for Queer History
- Tone Hellesund, Professor of Cultural Studies at UiB and project manager of the research project QUEERDOM