MC Division of Humanities brings Dr. Jessica Scott of WV Wesleyan to campus for Oct. 22 discussion of queer politics, activism
Oct. 15, 2024
Fostering conversations about social issues and civic engagement is important on college campuses, and the Maryville College Division of Humanities wants to encourage members of the MC community to pursue such philosophical discussions outside of the classroom as well.
At 7 p.m. Oct. 22, Dr. Jessica Scott of West Virginia Wesleyan College will be on campus to discuss her recently published book entitled “Home is Where Your Politics Are: Queer Activism in the U.S. South and South Africa.” The presentation and discussion will take place in Lawson Auditorium in the basement level of Fayerweather Hall.
“The book is about the spatial politics of sexuality,” Scott said. “There are narratives that suggest it is easier to live openly as LGBTQ+ people in some areas of the world, and harder to do that in other areas. Large cities, for instance, are areas where it is taken for granted that queerness can thrive, and is, in fact, celebrated. However, large cities are also areas where queer thriving is confined to limited areas of the city, commonly called ‘gayborhoods.’
“Rural areas, like the area where I live in West Virginia, for instance, do not have the infrastructure of LGBTQ+ community centers and gay bars or churches, but queer and transgender people are often part of the life of our community in other ways. However, the story about rural queer life is either that it does not exist, or that it is characterized by misery and despair.”
The reality of lived LGBTQ+ experiences in different places is much more nuanced than these stereotypes give it credit for. Scott’s research is focused on exploring the ways in which tensions surrounding LGBTQ+ activism manifest themselves differently in different areas, and how activists have to overcome stereotypes about those areas in order to do their work productively.
During her visit to campus, Scott plans to read a few excerpts from the book, talk about the ideas behind her research, and engage in conversation with the attendees about their thoughts on this topic and how these ideas strike them.
Scott has worked with MC’s Chair of the Division of Humanities, Dr. Phillip Sherman, in planning this visit, and both say they think it will open up important discussions among the Maryville community.
“I think Dr. Scott’s visit is timely and important for our students, staff, faculty, and broader community,” said Sherman. “In the midst of a contentious election season, I am hopeful people can think more deeply about civic engagement beyond the ballot box. Voting is a one-time event each cycle. It is important, but so is showing up in your community and being informed about whose interests are represented well and whose interests are ignored.”
Scott started out as a music performance major at West Virginia Wesleyan College, and later went on to complete a Ph.D. in gender studies at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. She then returned to West Virginia Wesleyan College as a professor, and has coordinated the school’s gender studies program since 2010.
Her research has also been helpful to MC Humanities faculty members as they work on developing a new potential minor in Citizenship and Sense of Place. The relationship between place and civic engagement will be key to the new program, and this relationship to place is also at the heart of Scott’s work. Her visit to MC is made possible by a Humanities Connection Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
“Anyone who attends the talk will hear about the importance of place to the activists who are engaged in LGBTQ+ activism in South Africa and the US South,” said Scott. “I hope that this discussion about how queer and transgender people engage with the places where they live enlivens the conversation about citizens and place-making already happening at Maryville.”
Scott’s Oct. 22 lecture is free and open to the public.
Written by Julia Jeffress ’25