Monday, December 30, 2019

Essay on The Queer Theory - 1875 Words

Queer, a word first used by the Scottish in 1508 to mean strange, peculiar, or eccentric, has evolved into a critical theory signifying resistance to the traditional views on gender and sexuality since the early 1990s. An Italian author and professor, Teresa de Lauretis coined the term â€Å"Queer Theory† during a conference on conjecturing gay and lesbian sexualities held at the University of California. Heavily influenced by deconstruction, post-structuralism, and feminism, queer theory challenges the practice of assigning people to different categories based on a person’s description. Queer theory constructs itself around the concept that identities are not fixed and therefore queer theorists â€Å"object to statements that would construct†¦show more content†¦Butler conveys that heterosexuality and homosexuality are not fixed classifications, believing that people are only in the condition of doing queerness or doing straightness. Through her theory of per formativity, â€Å"which asserts that because all categories and identities only exist in the ideal, all attempts to reconcile the ideal with the real result in performance† (Kirsch 86), Butler explains how gender is â€Å"an incessant activity performed, in part, without one’s knowing and without one’s willing† (1). The act of gender, similar to a script, once rehearsed, constitutes into reality as human actions perform the â€Å"script† daily. Butler infers that sexuality, like gender, is on a continuum and therefore concludes that there is not one or the other. Skeptical of the normative perceptions on sexuality people embody and concerned with the pressures society construes on those deemed non-normative, Judith Butler expresses how: Sometimes norms function both ways at once, and sometimes they function one way for a given group, and another way for another group. What is most important is to cease legislating for all lives what is livable only for some, and†¦to refrain from proscribing for all lives what is unlivable for some. (8) Another primary scholar of queer theory, Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, compels readers to be â€Å"more alert to the potential queer nuances† (Edwards 59) illustrated inShow MoreRelatedWhat is Queer Theory?1029 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Queer theory does not provide a positivity, rather it is a way of producing reflection, a way of taking a stand vis à ¡ vis the authoritative standard†. This quote comes from Thomas Dowson who suggests that the queer remark makes room for reflection while it requires a reflection of ones own self as well as their own involvement. The term queer can be a quarrelsome phrase and one that is surrounded by disregard, triumph and rejection. It mainly concentrates on the imbalance between sex, gender andRead MoreAnalysis Of Foucault And Queer Theory 1211 Words   |  5 PagesIn Foucault and Queer Theory Spargo defines queer theory as a nebulous group of cultural criticism and analysis of social power structures relating to sexuality . It is the se power structures and aspects of culture that are responsible for the discourse that creates and informs ones understanding of gender, race, and sexuality. However these aspects of identity do not exist separately from one another, but are constructed in tandem throughout history. These layers of identity inform each otherRead MoreQueer Theory : The Matrix2120 Words   |  9 Pages The Matrix Queer Theory Postcolonial Theory Kaupapa MÄ ori Mana Wahine Value Queer theory questions creations of normal and divergent, insider, and outsider.2 Queer theorists analyse a situation or a text to determine the relationship between sexuality, power and gender. Queer theory challenges basic tropes used to organize our society and our language: even words are gendered, and through that gendering an elliptical view of the hierarchy of society, and presumption of what is male and whatRead MoreQueer Theory Essay1261 Words   |  6 PagesQueer theory derives from Womens Studies and Queer Studies during the early 1990s. Queer theory is said to be related to bisexual and lesbian roles. The main focus of queer theory is to reject the categories of gender and sexuality that we as a society have come to know as traditional. Queer theory is rapidly expanding through more and more findings and studies. What is interesting about queer theory is that it does not just challenge the traditional makeup of society., it challenges what is normalRead MoreQueer Theory And Radical Theory2084 Words   |  9 PagesThroughout the beginning of the course students have obtained a wide variety of new vocabulary, including many concepts and theories. Within this paper I will be discussing the following: gender, transgender, transsexual, sexism, four axioms of masculinity, and gender based harassment. I have focused on the following six terms because they all focus on sexuality and gender and how they differ throughout the expression and biology of oneself. All of these terms relate to the freedom of choice andRead MoreThe Feminist And Queer Theory1103 Words   |  5 Pages The Feminist/ Queer theory is a relatively new understanding in the world of sociology. This theory developed in response to traditional, male dominated classical approaches. (Buccieri 2014) Many people had realized that there was a lack of research on woman and their contributions to the world. Woman wanted- and still strive for- equal rights, conditions, and power structures to men. The Feminist/ Queer theory’s main goal is to defend cultural, political, and economic rights for women. The Feminist/Read MoreThe Show Last Man Standing 870 Words   |  4 Pagesand forth at one another, when Mike accidentally insults Charlie and she goes home. Throughout this paper, I will be critically evaluating the show ‘Last Man Standing’ using queer theory and feminist theory to illustrate how the themes of heteronormativity and gender roles are evident in this particular episode. Queer theory is based on the idea that heterosexuality is the norm, when in reality it is just what some people believe is normal. It suggests that an individual s identity does not determineRead MoreThe Movie Donnie Darko By Richard Kelly1393 Words   |  6 Pagesgoal of protecting the future. Edelman also believes that queers will not survive in the future because they are unable to reproduce. The film Donnie Darko, directed by Richard Kelly, challenges society’s unrealistic expectations of a perfect nuclear family by juxtaposing a queer Donnie with his heteronormative sister Samantha. When considered in the context of Lee Edelman’s The Future is Kid Stuff, this stark contrast confirms the theory of reproductive futurism and explains the ending of the movieRead MoreEssay The Berdache of Early American Conquest3448 Words   |  14 PagesThe Berdache of Early American Conquest Methodological Introduction This paper attempts to link the facet of queer theory that explains gender and sexuality as culturally constructed identities, with the presence of the berdache in the New World at the time of the Spanish conquest. By analyzing the construction of gender and sexuality among the native peoples, in contrast to the ideologies of the Spanish, I found a clash arose which explained, in some sense, the incompatibility of the twoRead MoreThe Avant  ¬Ã¢â€°   Garde Cinema Community Essay2247 Words   |  9 Pagesco ­existed. J. Hoberman and Jonathan Rosenbuam believed this new transformative cinema arose from a need to â€Å"defragment the official cinematic senses†(Hoberman, p. 39). In turn, creating new ideas and concepts to be explored. During this time period, queer/homosexual directors like Jack Smith, Kenneth Anger, and Andy Warhol created pictures like Flaming Creatures, Scorp io Rising, and Blowjob. These films addressed the relationship of heteronormative constructs to ho mosexuality in new ways via the use

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