About the Trans Studies Initiative

Trans Studies at KU

Trans Studies is a field deeply indebted to academic work in Black and Indigenous studies, as well as decades of on-the-ground community engagement and theorizing. Trans history is global and long-predates the establishment of the field. We study questions of trans life, trans theorizing, and trans materiality across epistemological and ontological bounds. We also recognize "trans" as a term with broad definition, including multiple relations to gender, race, nation, the human, and other categories of life, including the total abolition of categories altogether.

Our Vision

Creating a network of interdisciplinary engagement, the Trans Studies Initiative includes coursework, a lecture series, a fellowship program, community grants, and the publication of TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly. 

With support from the Mellon Foundation, Trans Studies at the Commons is a fellowship and community grant program that pushes our work beyond KU. Starting in Fall 2024, our first cohort will convene to think through issues of "trans theory."