ABSTRACT
I n this book that refuses closure, I struggled to imagine an appropriate concluding chapter. At first, I thought of writing a somewhat conventional conclusion in which I summarize my main findings and arguments (on poststructuralist conceptualizations of oppression and queer activist approaches to addressing resistance to antioppressive change), reflect on my contributions to educational research and practice (through different routes of reading and what each makes possible and impossible), and suggest directions for future research (by looking beyond the current field of research, including the arguments in this book). While such a conclusion could certainly be helpful to people who have not read the entire book, I started wondering whether it could actually work against the book's goals. By ending with my summaries, my reflections, and my suggestions in this common and commonsense way, I felt that I would be not merely sharing my reading of my book, but doing so in a way that gave my reading authoritativeness. I did not want to engage in a traditional practice in educational research that does not necessarily invite readers to look beyond my book
and my readings of it. I wanted an ending that would make it difficult for readers to read and to finish reading my book in traditional ways.
