Current research

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

This project examines 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 processes of modernization that began in the 19th century. By referencing artistic and cultural articulations of gender fluidity and same-sex relationships in pre-modern aesthetic traditions, the works can be read as a way to situate 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 reference indigenous forms of gender and sexual diversity and advocate for greater social acceptance of queer people in contemporary society.