ABSTRACT
That queer theory has been slow to wend its way into the learning sciences is a source of frustration but not much of a surprise to those of us doing queer work in learning contexts. Queer frameworks are commonly viewed as far outside of the mainstream, the domain of literary theory and literacy scholars, gender studies faculty, and methodologists who dabble in the Foucauldian. Yet queer theory has much to offer those who take a “human sciences” approach to learning (e.g., O’Connor & Penuel, 2010; Penuel & O’Connor, 2010). Queer theorists share with this approach a commitment to investigating variations in human activity, and they delight in the gaps between “natural laws” of human nature and the everyday apparent inconsistencies and irrationalities of human action.
