2025 Queer Theory Lecture in Honor of Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick

The Queer Theory Lecture is an annual event to honor and celebrate one of queer theories most insightful scholars and foundational figures Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick. Sedgwick's call for reparative work and for reading practices grounded in affect and performance have transformed our understandings of intimacy, identity, and politics. Sedgwick spent much of her career at Duke in the English department where she offered the Epistemology of the Closet in 1990 and Tendencies in 1993. Although she moved to the City University of New York in 1997 where she taught until her passing in 2009, she left an indelible mark on the Duke community. Her work helped establish Duke as an intellectual leader in the critical study of sexuality. We host this event every year as a tribute to Sedgwick and as a continuation of her legacy. Over the last decade the Sedgwick lecture has featured leading scholars in queer theory including Lauren Berlant, José Muñoz, Tim Dean, and many more. This year's speaker, Dr. Robert Reid-Pharr, is a Professor of Social and Cultural Analysis at New York University. A prominent scholar in the field of race and sexuality studies, he is the author of four books, the most recent of which is "Archives of Flesh: African America, Spain, and Post-Humanist Critique" (New York University Press, 2016)