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queer theory

Definition of Queer Theory

(noun) A theoretical approach that critically deconstructs and challenges binaries such as male and female or heterosexual and homosexual.

Examples of Queer Theory

Queer Theory Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: queer the·o·ry

Audio Pronunciation

– American English
– British English

Phonetic Spelling

  • American English – /kwIR thEE-uhr-ree/
  • British English – /kwIUH thIUH-ree/

International Phonetic Alphabet

  • American English – /kwɪr ˈθiəri/
  • British English – /kwɪə ˈθɪəri/

Usage Notes

  • Plural: queer theories
  • Queer theory challenges existing and essentialist notions of gender and sexuality, in particular arguing there is a bias toward heterosexuality as “normal”, referred to as heteronormativity. This bias silences nonheterosexual voices

Additional Information

Related Terms


Works Consulted

Andersen, Margaret L., and Howard Francis Taylor. 2011. Sociology: The Essentials. 6th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Dillon, Michele. 2014. Introduction to Sociological Theory: Theorists, Concepts, and their Applicability to the Twenty-First Century. 2nd ed. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.

Ferris, Kerry, and Jill Stein. 2010. The Real World: An Introduction to Sociology. 2nd ed. New York: Norton.

Griffiths, Heather, Nathan Keirns, Eric Strayer, Susan Cody-Rydzewski, Gail Scaramuzzo, Tommy Sadler, Sally Vyain, Jeff Bry, Faye Jones. 2016. Introduction to Sociology 2e. Houston, TX: OpenStax.

Macionis, John. 2012. Sociology. 14th ed. Boston: Pearson.

Macionis, John, and Kenneth Plummer. 2012. Sociology: A Global Introduction. 4th ed. Harlow, England: Pearson Education.

Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).

Stewart, Paul, and Johan Zaaiman, eds. 2015. Sociology: A Concise South African Introduction. Cape Town: Juta.

Thorpe, Christopher, Chris Yuill, Mitchell Hobbs, Sarah Tomley, and Marcus Weeks. 2015. The Sociology Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained. London: Dorling Kindersley.

Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. (https://en.wikipedia.org/).

Cite the Definition of Queer Theory

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “queer theory.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved March 28, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/queer-theory/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

queer theory. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/queer-theory/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “queer theory.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed March 28, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/queer-theory/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“queer theory.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/queer-theory/>.