Staying Afloat: Queer Diasporic Currents in Amsterdam

• In Event: Diasporic Sites of Feminist and Queer Struggles, Solidarities and Freedom

Abstract

This paper offers a detailed analysis of how queer feminist diaspora used transnational kinship networks and cultural production to ‘stay afloat’ in the Netherlands and beyond. I discuss strategies for ‘staying afloat’ such as cultural work, lesbian parties, and feminist gatherings. Drawing on archival materials and BMR case studies, I suggest that ‘staying afloat’ in the aftermath of Dutch colonialism requires a rethinking of collective political care practices amongst queers and feminists of color. This paper centers water as a material, historic and metaphorical site in the making of transnational queer feminist solidarity and knowledge production.

Presenter

• Chandra Frank, University of Cincinnati