Faculty Books

In Queer Career (Princeton University Press), professor of history Margot Canaday sets out to review and rewrite our understanding of queer people in the workplace. Historically workplaces have largely been “straight spaces” where queer people passed, often adopting a “don’t ask/don’t tell” practice with their sexuality. As a result, limited attention has been given to the experiences of queer people in the workforce. Canaday uses this book to unpack the history and role employment insecurity played in gay life in postwar America.

Assistant professor Xin Wen tells the story of diplomatic travelers on the Silk Road — the network of Eurasian trade routes spanning more than 6,000 kilometers used by travelers from the second century B.C. to the middle of the 15th century — in The King’s Road (Princeton University Press). Using documents from the Dunhuang “library cave” in western China, the book emphasizes the importance of the rich social history that played out on this route in addition to its commercial purpose.