Abstract

This essay examines how archiving and the concept of “the archive” have impacted LGBTQ histories and queer theory since the 1970s. The essay begins by outlining the emergence of LGBTQ archives in the 1970s and their eventual migration from private homes and community settings to institutional archives. Next, this essay examines how archives have been queered by professional archivists and contemporary artists working with archival materials and tropes. Finally, this essay examines the pervasive adoption of archives as a conceptual framework in queer theory.