Uncovering Queer Domesticity: Intuition and Possibility as Methods of Intervention Into the Historic House Museum and Archive

This thesis is an exploration of queer domesticity, queer possibility and intuitionin historic house museums. It develops a methodological framework intended to intervene in archival, research, interpretive and institutional practices at these sites. Using the Elfreth’s Alley Museum’s podcast The Alley Cast as a case study, I examine how utilizing a framework that understands queerness to be just as possible as straightness; that uses intuition to guide research; and queer and trans theory to denaturalize categories of sexuality and gender can uncover queer domestic patterns that unsettle and disrupt the public’s hetero- and cisnormative assumptions about the past. I argue that this is a framework that can be adopted by historic house museums in order to engage with queer history when evidence may be lacking or whose historical subjects’ gender or sexuality resists easy classification. Finally, I argue that implementing such a framework can only be done successfully if it is engaged as part of a larger institution-wide commitment to creating a socially just and responsive museum that understands the importance of sharing complicated and difficult history with its public and dismantling its own position of power and authority.

Grantor dc:publisher

Temple University. Libraries

Year dc:date.issued

2021

Author dc:creator

• Steven, Isabel Marie

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Lowe, Hilary Iris

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Bruggeman, Seth C., 1975-
• Lee, Lisa Yun, 1969-

• History
• Gender and sexuality
• Historic house museums
• Public history
• Queer history
• Queer studies

Statement dc:rights

• IN COPYRIGHT- This Rights Statement can be used for an Item that is in copyright. Using this statement implies that the organization making this Item available has determined that the Item is in copyright and either is the rights-holder, has obtained permission from the rights-holder(s) to make their Work(s) available, or makes the Item available under an exception or limitation to copyright (including Fair Use) that entitles it to make the Item available.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12613/6546

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarshare.temple.edu:20.500.12613/6546