Session three explored Drag in an Academic Perspective with Professor Kareem Khubchandani and PROJECT POP UP 3 – Drag as marketplace with Mikko J. Laamanen.

In this reflection session, the seminar participants responded to three questions on Mentimeter. Our hope was to make the audience think of different uses of drag: what fields it can be used in, and what obstacles one might face. We were curious about the participants’ thoughts on incorporating drag in academia, and eager to hear about Kareem’s experiences.

There was a variety of responses to the first question:

“What tools and methods from this session could be used to make drag more relevant in different fields?”

Many responded that drag can offer critical and different perspectives. In terms of academia, many responded curiously and positively to teachers teaching in, or using, drag in their lessons. It offers a unique opportunity to meet and relate to students. Drag in academia could also be used to explore different gender perspectives and shake up common stereotypes. Participants also expressed interest in using different languages, music, and cultures in drag, and how this could be used to de-westernise the field, with academia in mind. There is more than one way to practice drag.

On the second question,

“How do you see drag implemented in academia, what are possible obstacles and possibilities?”

A participant responded thus: “I see drag shaking up academia, challenging traditions and inviting new means of research and knowledge acquisition.” Some said drag could be used to decolonize academia. Because of prejudices against queer folk, spaces, and cultures, implementing drag in academia will be challenging, but also positive, as it can be used to normalize drag and unite different groups of people. Some also fear that the inclusion of drag in academia could delegitimize drag by bringing it out of the queer community—that it could be less free and situated in a more controlled environment. One participant said that “drag in academia is an obstacle for creating drag as an art discipline.” Some participants said that students or professors might not feel included, while others argued that academia can be practical and theatrical. Hence, the implementation of drag in academia could encourage and include different people through alternative learning methods.

After looking at these answers from Mentimeter, more reflections were made: How can we keep drag relevant in academia and include all forms of drag without making it too westernized? What methods can be used to reach people who are otherwise not engaged in queer spheres, to make drag more normalized and less stigmatized? Can drag be used as a learning form for more empathy and understanding between genders, and on being human without prejudice about who, what, and where you’re from?

From the third and final question,

“How can drag transform academia?”

A participant argued that drag could make academia unserious. Some also saw it as an opportunity to view history and perspectives through different art styles, media, and cultures, some of which might not have been given space in academia otherwise. A change in academia could also reflect on drag by giving room for different cultures and languages, helping to create local drag cultures that have their own language and traditions, different from the American drag culture one sees online and on TV.