Discourse and politics in the production of homosexual subjectivities in South Africa: a queer theory analysis of selected English non-fiction texts (1992-2008)
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Date
2012-09-04
Authors
McCormick, Tracey Lee
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Abstract
In this thesis I argue that the current contradiction between the constitutional rights of
gay and lesbian people in South Africa and the daily, continual experiences of
homophobic violence and discrimination necessitates an alternative analysis of the
contradictory nature of gay and lesbian rights in South Africa. In order to do this, I draw
on Queer Theory to analyse the link between discourse and politics in the production of
homosexual subjectivities in six South African English non-fiction books between1992
and 2008that have never before been the focus of a dedicated research investigation.I
cover this period because it encompasses various epochs in which the shift in the
priorities and issues on the gay and lesbian rights agenda can be identified and in which
the evolving image of the public face of homosexuality can be mapped. The unique
South African political and historical contexts in which each book was written is central
to understanding the specificity of gay and lesbian identity construction.
I draw on Queer Theory (Foucault, Butler, Rubin) as a critical hermeneutic which has as
its aim to provide insight into the complexity of identity and difference from a poststructuralist
point of view in order to analyse the link between discourse and the
production of subjectivity.
In my analysis of the six non-fiction texts I demonstrate how representations of gay and
lesbian identities vary depending on the political imperatives of the gay and lesbian
movement and the level of homophobia that existed at the time of the production of
each text under investigation. I make evident those instances where Queer Theory is
useful as an analytical tool for examining identity and difference, and where it is not in
the South African context. I point out the limitations of an identity politics approach to
understanding and resisting discrimination against gay, lesbian and queer people.
Finally, I argue that from a Queer Theory perspective, rights based and identity politics
approaches to political change have the potential for the assimilation of difference into a
normative paradigm.
Description
Ph.D. University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Humanities, 2012