The Terrible We - (Asterisk) by Cameron Awkward-Rich

About the Book

Observing that trans studies was founded on a split from and disavowal of madness, illness, and disability, Cameron Awkward-Rich argues for and models a trans criticism that works against this disavowal.

Book Synopsis

In The Terrible We Cameron Awkward-Rich thinks with the bad feelings and mad habits of thought that persist in both transphobic discourse and trans cultural production. Observing that trans studies was founded on a split from and disavowal of madness, illness, and disability, Awkward-Rich argues for and models a trans criticism that works against this disavowal. By tracing the coproduction of the categories of disabled and transgender in the United States at the turn of the twentieth century and analyzing transmasculine literature and theory by Eli Clare, Elliott DeLine, Dylan Scholinski, and others, Awkward-Rich suggests that thinking with maladjustment might provide new perspectives on the impasses arising from the conflicted relationships among trans, feminist, and queer. In so doing, he demonstrates that rather than only impeding or confining trans life, thought, and creativity, forms of maladjustment have also been and will continue to be central to their development.

Duke University Press Scholars of Color First Book Award recipient

Review Quotes

"One might not expect a book about bad feelings and mad habits to be a joy to read, but The Terrible We is beautifully written and important. . . . Honest, patient, and calling the reader to critically revisit how the splitting of trans from madness and disability has robbed trans discourse of important history and also depth, The Terrible We is a challenging and very much necessary book relevant to several intersecting constituencies and academic disciplines."--Claudia Schippert "Lateral" (9/1/2023 12:00:00 AM)

"While the interruption of trans thought's methodological distancing from disability is the central project of The Terrible We, a key intervention is also the book's framing of the relation between trans and feminist thought. Awkward-Rich traces the tense relation between them, and reads this relation from the position of depression."--Stephanie Clare "Year's Work in Critical and Cultural Theory" (4/29/2023 12:00:00 AM)

"The Terrible We serves as an important guide for those interested in new ways of viewing trans life in both its positive and negative aspects and those wanting to use everyday archives in a method that is more interested in fractures and gaps rather than acceptance and completion."--Jacob Debrock "TSQ" (2/1/2024 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Cameron Awkward-Rich is Assistant Professor of Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and author of Dispatch and Sympathetic Little Monster.