A History of Drag
This course will take place online.
From the Elizabethan boy player, to the bawdy Victorian dame, to the glamorous and avant-garde incarnations of the medium seen today, drag has held the power to arouse amorous passions, laughter, pathos, and controversy – sometimes all at once. In this historical overview of male drag in nineteenth-and twentieth-century Britain, we will investigate the concept of drag through the lens of queer performance, national identity, gender and sexuality, and other relevant topics.
Explore the different collections we hold on LGBTQ+ history through our Archives.
Who is this course for?
This 6-week course is for anyone with an interest in drag, the performing arts, queer history, or the history of gender and sexuality; although no prior knowledge or experience of any these areas is required.
Practical information
This course will be taught through a combination of tutor presentations and group discussions.
Joining via Zoom
This course or event will be held via Zoom. You need a computer/laptop or mobile phone to access the Zoom website, and a reliable internet connection. For further information on how to join a Zoom meeting, you can watch the joining video here.
You will need a computer or other device to connect with Zoom and a notebook/paper and pen/pencil, or digital equivalent.
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Need to Know
You will learn
- Why is drag so frequently linked with homosexuality and/or queer culture? How did these connections develop?
- To what extent is drag culture in the UK distinctly British?
- Is drag inherently subversive?
- How has drag been subjected to state, social, and cultural modes of regulation in the past?
Meet the Tutor
Jacob Bloomfield
Dr Jacob Bloomfield is a Zukunftskolleg Fellow at the University of Konstanz and an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Kent. Jacob’s PhD thesis, ‘Male Cross-Dressing Performance in Britain, 1918-1970’, was undertaken at The University of Manchester. He is developing a book, called Drag. A British History, with University of California Press. Jacob is also working on a separate research project about the singer Little Richard.
In his spare time, Jacob is a drag queen whose comedy cabaret show, Songs For Glitter Fetishists, has been seen monthly at The George Tavern in Shadwell, London and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He is also an enthusiast of repertory cinema, eyelash glue, glitter, and more.
Course Overview
Week 1
Introduction to drag history
Week 2
Old Mother Riley and the modern dame
Week 3
Soldiers in Skirts: Cross-dressing ex-servicemen on the British stage
Week 4
Glamour drag, conservatism, and the ‘permissive society’
Week 5
Skirting the censors: Drag and the censorship of the British theatre
Week 6
‘I’m hanging my tits up’: Concluding the course
Dates and Times
A History of Drag
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