Queering the U.S. Bicentennial: Celebrating, Criticising, and Commemorating 1776 in 1976

Information from the organisers

As a historian, Marc Stein researches and teaches the history of U.S.-law, politics and society with a focus on social and political movements of the 20th century. He examines these through the lens of queer history. Examples of his work show his co-hosted public history portal OutHistory, and in his numerous book publications, including works on the Stonewall Riots in New York City and queer activism in the field of history. 

His guest lecture in Erfurt is taking place at the invitation of the Chair of North American History and the DFG Research Unit Voluntariness. In June 2026—an anniversary year marking the U.S. Declaration of Independence—Marc Stein will address the theme of his current book, Bicentennial. A Revolutionary History of the 1970s (Chicago University Press, 2026) and, with his talk “Queering the U.S. Bicentennial,” offers a new perspective on the culture and politics of remembrance in U.S. contemporary history and on the years 1776 and 1976. Rita Krueger (Temple University), who is also a visiting scholar at the chair of North American History, will lead into the discussion with a comment following the lecture.