Lee Edelman (born 1953) is an American literary critic and academic. He serves as a professor of English at

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

. He is the author of four books.

Early life

Lee Edelman was born in 1953. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

, and he received an MPhil and a PhD from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

Career

Edelman began his academic career as a scholar of twentieth-century American poetry. He has since become a central figure in the development, dissemination, and rethinking of queer theory. His current work explores the intersections of sexuality, rhetorical theory, cultural politics, and film. He holds an appointment as the Fletcher Professor of English Literature and has served as the Chair of the English Department. He gained international recognition for his books about queer theory,

post-structuralism Post-structuralism is a term for philosophical and literary forms of theory that both build upon and reject ideas established by structuralism, the intellectual project that preceded it. Though post-structuralists all present different critique ...

psychoanalytic theory Psychoanalytic theory is the theory of personality organization and the dynamics of personality development that guides psychoanalysis, a clinical method for treating psychopathology. First laid out by Sigmund Freud in the late 19th century, psyc ...

, and

cultural studies Cultural studies is an interdisciplinary field that examines the political dynamics of contemporary culture (including popular culture) and its historical foundations. Cultural studies researchers generally investigate how cultural practices re ...

. Edelman is the author of three books. His first book, ''Transmemberment of Song: Hart Crane's Anatomies of Rhetoric and Desire'', is a critique of

Hart Crane Harold Hart Crane (July 21, 1899 – April 27, 1932) was an American poet. Provoked and inspired by T. S. Eliot, Crane wrote modernist poetry that was difficult, highly stylized, and ambitious in its scope. In his most ambitious work, '' The Brid ...

's poetry. His second book, ''Homographesis: Essays in Gay Literary and Cultural Theory'', explores the significance of

gay literature Gay literature is a collective term for literature produced by or for the gay community which involves characters, plot lines, and/or themes portraying male homosexual behavior. Overview and history Because the social acceptance of homosexual ...

. His third book, ''No Future: Queer Theory and the Death Drive'', is a post-Lacanian analysis of queer theory. Edelman's work has been contentious in queer theory, with José Esteban Muñoz's ''

Cruising Utopia ''Cruising Utopia: The Then and There of Queer Futurity'' is a book in the field of queer theory by José Esteban Muñoz, published in 2009. The writing style of the book is described as "cruising" its subject matter, moving quickly between a w ...

'' polemicizing against his "queer negativity." A 2005 Modern Language Association Conference held a special symposium on the subject, with participants Robert L. Caserio, Lee Edelman, Jack Halberstam, José Esteban Muñoz and Tim Dean debating the utility of the critique of

reproductive futurism In queer theory and psychoanalysis, reproductive futurism is the concept that people place value over the future — such as having children — over their current situations. It was created by scholar Lee Edelman in his work ''No Future (book), No ...

Personal life

Edelman is married to critic and fellow English professor

Joseph Litvak Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

Awards

2006 Lerman-Neubauer Award for Outstanding Teaching and Advising
2005 Named Fletcher Chair of English Literature
1998 Awarded the Distinguished Scholar Award by Tufts University
1994 Tufts Class of 1994 Recognition for Excellence
1993 Chosen by Alumni of Class of 1986 as one of Tufts' Most Influential Teachers
1989 Crompton-Noll Award of the MLA for "Redeeming the Phallus"
1989 Lillian and Joseph Leibner Award for Distinguished Teaching and Advising

Bibliography

Books

* * * *Edelman, Lee (2023). ''Bad Education. Why Queer Theory Teaches Us Nothing''. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press. ISBN 9781478018629

Selected Articles

* * ''A review of:'' *

References

External links

Faculty webpage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edelman, Lee 1953 births American academics of English literature Living people Northwestern University alumni Queer theorists Tufts University faculty Yale University alumni Gay academics LGBT Jews