1 - Menageries, Enmeshment, and Irreducibility

Summary

In this introductory chapter, we establish a theoretical framework for the book, drawing on the concept of 'queer entanglements' to argue for what a 'queer menagerie' might look like in terms of research, theory, and activism in regard to the intersections of gender, sexuality, and species. The chapter also provides definitions of the populations we focus on and outlines our reasons for our specific areas of focus. We also discuss our positionality as authors. In elaborating our theoretical framework, we focus on histories and presents of animal and LGBQTNB human lives, and we map out some potential ways of understanding why it would seem that such histories and presents take unique forms in the lives of LGBQTNB people and the animals they live with. We finish the chapter by outlining our two key concepts, ‘enmeshment’ and ‘irreducibility’, that help us to understand and represent the work of curating a queer menagerie. This introductory chapter concludes by providing an overview of the chapters included in this book.