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Isn’t She Iconic?: A Graduate Student Reflection on the American Studies Association Conference 

Why is everyone so afraid of drag - and what does that fear reveal about culture, labor, and power?

Literary and Cultural Studies PhD Candidate Catherine Evans is at work on an edited collection, Iconic: Drag Infrastructures and Queer Worldbuilding, that asks exactly that. Iconic brings together an interdisciplinary group of scholars and drag practitioners to examine the relationship between drag celebrity and the often-invisible labor that makes drag iconic.

Supported by a Humanities Center Graduate Student Conference Grant, Catherine presented Iconic at the 2025 American Studies Association (ASA) annual conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Her presentation focused on “drag infrastructures” as a critical framework for understanding drag celebrities at work. At a moment when drag’s meaning is being fiercely contested in the public sphere, with real consequences for performers, audiences, and queer and trans communities, Catherine and her colleagues’ work aims to better understand the community care work that makes drag possible. Although Catherine has been working on the collection for over four years, the gathering in San Juan marked the first time she met many of her collaborators in person. “Getting to see people face-to-face for the first time was truly magical,” she said.  

While in San Juan, Catherine also participated in ASA’s Public Humanities Day at Humanidades Puerto Rico, where she witnessed the “lip sync resurrection” of la Professora Lolita Cabrón (Professor Fredo Rivera’s drag persona). Learning about public humanities work happening in San Juan and across the United States was a highlight of the conference for Catherine. “In talking with other scholars at the Public Humanities Day, I was exposed to other projects I had no idea existed. I was also able to get feedback on my project, , which is directly connected to my doctoral research.”

“Writing a dissertation is, often, an isolating process, and to be able to connect with other graduate students and leaders in the field alike reminds me why I decided to do this kind of work in the first place,” she said. In addition to presenting her work, Catherine also chaired a panel that fostered dialogue about the role of media in our public and intimate lives.

Without the support of the Humanities Center Graduate Student Conference Grant, this experience would not have been possible. “I hope future Carnegie Mellon humanities graduate students are not only able to share their work with the help of the grant program, but also use it as a launchpad for their careers.”