RuPedagogies of Realness: Essays on Teaching and Learning with RuPaul's Drag Race

by Lindsay Bryde (Editor), Tommy Mayberry (Editor)

Pencils down--graphite and eyebrow--and eyes to front of the room for this one-of-a-kind lesson. Since debuting over a decade ago, the world of RuPaul's Drag Race has steadily collected both popular and academic interests. This collection of original essays presents insightful analyses and a range of critical perspectives on Drag Race from across the globe. Topics covered include language and linguistics, cultural appropriation, racism, health, wealth, the realities of reality television, digital drag and naked bodies.

Though varied in topical focus, each essay centers public pedagogy to examine what and how Drag Race teaches its audience. The goal of this book is to frame Drag Race as a classroom, one that is helpful for both teachers and students alike. With an academic-yet-accessible tone and an interdisciplinary approach, essays celebrate and examine the show and its spin-offs from the earliest seasons to the very start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

318 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 2, 2022

Reviews

[Mihaela Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This essay collection offers a fresh and intellectually engaging exploration of RuPaul’s Drag Race, positioning the globally celebrated reality show as more than entertainment it frames it as a powerful site of cultural education. By bringing together diverse academic voices, the book successfully bridges popular culture and scholarly analysis in a way that feels both meaningful and accessible.