On Friday, March 7th at 6:00 PM, at Libre! Irene Villa will present their new book La minaccia color lavanda. Il lesbismo nella teoria femminista e queer (The Lavender Menace. Lesbianism in Feminist and Queer Theory), in dialogue with Laura Sebastio.
The book, based on the PhD thesis defended in July 2023 at the University of Verona, discusses classic feminist texts, offering vivid and in-depth interpretations, and explores issues rarely addressed in Italy, such as lesbian masculinity and butch-femme dynamics, proposing new ideas for imagining a trans-affirmative lesbian politics. Through the analysis of key texts from various traditions (particularly from the United States, France, and Italy), archival documents, manifestos, and pamphlets, Irene Villa traces the philosophical and political debate on lesbianism from the 1970s to contemporary days, using the history of the politicization of lesbian sexuality as an interpretative key to understand the historical formation, turning points, and conflicts within feminist theory. The result is a lively and complex picture of the visions on gender and sexuality that have intertwined in recent decades, from which queer studies and theory emerge not only as an essential component of feminist history but also as a product of lesbian reflection capable of questioning the stigma linked to sexual acts and lesbian gender. A book that is a must-have in the library of anyone working in feminist theory and LGBTQ studies.
Libre! is located in Interrato dell’acqua morta 38, Verona.