Drag Histories, Herstories and Hairstories

Drag research has arrived. This volume by Edward and Farrier is a triumphant celebration of the critical, creative and speculative potentials of drag. The authors confidently embrace the complexities of drag and offer an affirmative map of its many forms, politics, and contexts. Future drag scholarship will be indebted to the provocations and case studies captured within these pages: from the ‘sequin method’ for historiography to queering panto. I am feeling the fantasy. * Rachel Hann, Northumbria University, UK *
From its playful title right through to its pantomimic concluding chapter, Drag Histories, Herstories and Hairstories is an exuberant, informed romp through the history of this most transgressive, protean, and wonderfully queer art form. Editors Mark Edward and Stephen Farrier have done a fabulous job in bringing together a panoply of academics, commentators, practitioners, and activists to cast some important light onto drag’s complex and fascinating past. * Emma Rees, University of Chester, UK *

This volume of essays makes a valuable and, yes, entertaining contribution to drag histories and herstories (the hairstories are in there, too), bringing a range of perspectives on performance cultures and performers that are illuminating. The sense of fun, passion and energy of so many performers and performance cultures are celebrated, documented and subjected to valuable critique here.

-- Professor Anne Pender * Australian Drama Studies *