An Archaeology of Posing: Essays on Camp, Drag, and Sexuality

An Archaeology of Posing compiles two decades of new and previously published writing on gay culture by one of the field’s most provocative and outspoken critics. Diverging from the text-based premise of most queer theory, Meyer utilizes performance studies and interpretive anthropology to examine camp and drag performances in the spaces in which they appear. He explores a variety of topics—from transsexual striptease and Harlem drag balls to the death of camp—within the genre of queer drag and sexuality performance. This collection of essays, with Meyer’s rejection of gender parity and his celebration of the effeminate gay male body, presents a fresh interpretation of established art forms. From the pre-Stonewall era to the present day, Meyer’s cultural critique redefines how we understand the phenomena of camp and drag.