Dr Jacob Bloomfield: 'Drag: A British history'

This is a joint event with Histories of Gender and Sexuality Research Group & Lighthouse Books. It will be a panel event, including Dr Jacob Bloomfield, Professor Louise Jackson, Dr Christian Illbury, Dr Rochelle Rowe and Dr Kate Davison (chair), Copies of the book will be available to buy on the evening.

A wine reception will follow.

'Drag: A British History'

With this book, Jacob Bloomfield provides fresh perspectives on drag and recovers previously neglected episodes in the history of the art form.

Despite its transgressive associations, drag has persisted as an intrinsic, and common, part of British popular culture—drag artists have consistently asserted themselves as some of the most renowned and significant entertainers of their day. As Bloomfield demonstrates, drag was also at the center of public discussions around gender and sexuality in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, from Victorian sex scandals to the 'permissive society' of the 1960s. This compelling new history demythologises drag, stressing its ordinariness while affirming its important place in British cultural heritage.

“A must-read for anyone interested in the history of drag performance.”—Publishers Weekly

Dr Jacob Bloomfield

Jacob Bloomfield is a Zukunftskolleg Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Konstanz and an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Kent. Jacob is the author of 'Drag: A British History' (2023). His second monograph will be about the historical reception to, and cultural impact of, musician Little Richard.