Current research

Queering Islamic Art: Articulations of Sexual and Gender Diversity in the Production of Contemporary Artists from the MENASA Region

This project explores the production of contemporary artists from the MENASA region whose works and practices challenge contemporary heteronormativity as it was introduced to the region in the modernization processes that began in the 19th century. Through references to artistic and cultural articulations of gender fluidity and same-sex relations in pre-modern aesthetic traditions, the works can be read as a way of locating contemporary sexual diversity within the fabric of Muslim societies and the cultural history of the region. While gender and sexual diversity are often denounced as foreign "imports" from the West in popular debates and mainstream media in the region, the works point to indigenous forms of gender and sexual diversity and advocate for greater social acceptance of queer people in contemporary society.