ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book reflects on 'the political' in queer theory and to assess queer politics by revisiting two of queer theory's key categories: hegemony and heteronormativity. It argues that reflecting on the regimes of norms and normalization, as suggested by the notion of heteronormativity, contributes to a better understanding of hegemony as a theory that explains the modes of consensus production. The book proposes that the deployment of 'heteronormativity' and 'hegemony' as analytical categories for queer theory marks a departure from essentialist identity and minority politics, as both categories help explain the constitution of subjectivities rather than presupposing them. Within queer theory, there has been an ongoing engagement with the question of heteronormativity's relevance for analysing complex relations of power and domination that have largely remained on a programmatic level.
