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The Book of Love is Long and Boring: Reading Aloud, Care Work, and Contemporary Children’s Literature
No full textThis talk considers reading aloud to children as a form of maternalized care that is coercive on both sides: coercive to mothers who are in charge of their child’s phonic education, and coercive to children for whom phonics necessarily closes off other hermeneutic possibilities. Through analyses of children’s picture books such as Go the Fuck to Sleep and The Cat in the Hat series, I take up Friedrich Kittler’s argument in Discourse Analysis 1800/1900, that children are “alphabetized” through a phonic discipline that leashes sound to the heterogendered maternal body as a source of wholeness and plenitude—and I extend this proposition to consider reading aloud as a scene of primal seduction, one that regulates the messy energies of the pictorial. But through On Beyond Zebra, I also explore what resistance to the alphabetic and to phonics might look like: not only like that book’s pictographic array “beyond” the alphabet but like a real child reader’s madcap, anti-phonic, potentially queer pairing of letter and sound
The transgender couple : Transnormativity, trans separatism, and the discourse of t4t
No full textOriginating as a category on the now-defunct Craigslist backpages, t4t (trans for trans) emerged as a place for trans people to connect for sex and dating in otherwise cis-dominated dating pools. Since the passing of the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA) and the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA) in 2018 that impactfully resulted in the dissolution of the personal ads section, t4t has been taken up on other social media platforms, becoming shorthand for larger discourse(s) within the trans community regarding the political radicality of transgender love outside of the cisgender gaze (Williams 2018).
With the increased public visibility of trans individuals, a singular trajectory of transgender experience has become socioculturally salient. Transnormativity, a regulatory ideology that holds that there is one way for trans people to practice their gender (Johnson 2015, Vipond 2015), presumes not only heterosexuality and its associated cultural baggage but also a linear transition “from one socially knowable sex to another” (Nicolazzo 2016: 1175). Building on existing considerations of normativity in language, gender, and sexuality research (Motschenbacher 2014, Jones 2019), we argue that the ethos of t4t pushes against assumptions that trans people’s ‘ultimate goal’ is to partner with a cis person. Yet, while t4t creates opportunity for rejection of such expectations, mainstream media outlets continue to rely on these normative discourses in representations of trans couples.
Using multimodal critical discourse analysis (Machin 2013), this study has two core aims. First, it explores how media representations of transgender couples elide transgender identities into cisheteronormative conceptions of romantic partnership, centering the (perceived) heterosexuality, reproductive capacity, and medical transition of both partners. Second, it outlines how the growth of the t4t label and hashtag resists such a narrative coercion. Employing a scavenger methodology (Halberstam 1998) drawing on data from American news segments and social media posts across various platforms (Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr), we show how a close reading of t4t against dominant media depictions reveals an emerging political discourse whereby transgender subjects reject the imposition of cisheteronormativities, build intracommunity connections, and refuse to seek validation on the terms of desirability to cisgender people
Movement and meaning: Jananas and the construction of self
No full text“Movement and meaning: Jananas and the construction of self”
This paper explores how gestures indicate meaning alongside the use of linguistic markers. Like language, movement is coded in broader cultural structures of what specific movements imply. Scholars of movement and gestures have extrapolated that gestures and body movement carry meaning (Farnell 1995) and culture imposes restrictions on the body and movement (Noland 2008) in ways similar to restrictions on language use. The paper is based on ethnography with the janana community in Lucknow, India. Jananas are a community of same sex desiring men in South Asia some of whom engage in sex work. Most work on the janana community is focused on the linguistic (Hall 2005, Nagar 2019), sexuality (Boyce 2007, Boyce & Khanna 2011), religious (Nagar and DasGupta 2015), and anthropological (Cohen 2005, Reddy 2005) aspects of the community. This paper presents an interdisciplinary look at the janana body and analyses movement as another way in which jananas form meaning in their marginalization and underline their identity as separate from other gender based categorizations.
Within the janana community hilna dulta and matakna chatakna are used as terms that indicate feminized movement of hips, hands, eyes, or neck. Situating analyses of meaning in the body, this paper combines the study of meaning in movement with janana perception about what it means to indulge in hilna dulta and matakna chatakna, i.e., moving their bodies in certain ways. Jananas negotiate how much movement is “allowed” within the parameters of being janana and being a man which are sometimes mutually threatening. While much of negotiation of janana self-identity happens in language use other significant ways of defining identity and the dance between normative and questionable performances of gender happens in movement. Janana movements can be read as displays of specific gendered behavior by people outside of janana lives and because of this recognition there is risk to jananas performing these movements. Just like language use and language variation is practiced within communities of practice, movements and the meanings they underline “shape to circumstances” (Sklar 2001). The paper argues that use of gestures by janana underline them as different from other gendered identities
Breaking, Bending, Stretching the Rules of Singular They in Academia
No full textResearchers have historically discussed whether the epicene pronoun singular they should be used as a gender-neutral pronoun in academic discourses (Noll, Lowry, & Bryant, 2018), yet more recently have looked beyond the need for a gender-neutral pronoun for the heteronormative community and more toward a gender inclusive or specifying pronoun that is accepted within the transgender and genderqueer communities (Nicholas, 2019; Thorne, et al., 2019). However, despite some movement toward queering grammar rules and formal writing styles, much scholarship still focuses on heteronormative, binary gender constructions and dismisses the need for appropriate terminology when identifying and referring to gender variant individuals (Bada & Genc, 2018). This oversight often continues the marginalization and misrepresentation of genderqueer individuals and allows grammar rules to perpetuate the exclusion of these folx from academic spheres. Thus, I join this conversation through a participatory-action research study, advocating for the shift toward queering prescriptive grammar rules. I use qualitative and quantitative methods to conduct a critical discourse analysis of 12 stylization manuals to determine where singular they is allowed in academic writing and how guidebooks that follow traditional “language pedagogies” (Daniels, 2019) affect the genderqueer community as well as perpetuate heteronormative standards and ideologies. I structure my research through a two-step approach, first exploring the discussion around using and advocating for singular they, showing where and how singular they has already been incorporated in written and spoken discourses. Then, I analyze the stylization guidebooks themselves for mentions of singular they, making note of how each manual directs its readers on pronoun usage and the correlating explanations for those directives. I focus on commonly used style guides such as AMA, AP, APA, Chicago, MLA, and Turabian but also ground my research in local functionality using manuals most utilized by students at my university. Accordingly, these 12 texts represent and dictate the rules of academic writing across disciplines and affect not only student populations but also faculty and staff members. Ultimately, I argue the need for more genderqueer studies both on and in using gender inclusive, neutral, and/or specifying language
Gender neutral and nonbinary pronouns in Danish
No full textOver the recent years, there has been a growing interest in gender neutral or nonbinary 3rd person singular pronouns in several different languages. These pronouns have been discussed both in terms of their use(fulness) as gender neutral pronouns and more recently as designators of nonbinary transgender persons (cf. Sendén, Bäck, and Lindqvist 2015; Hord 2016; Miltersen 2016; Papadopoulos 2018; Conrod 2019; Kosnick 2019; Hernandez 2020; Baron 2020). The topic is not only of academic interest but has been subject to discussion in mainstream media as well. However, few studies exist that focus on the use of such pronouns in interaction. This presentation gives an overview of the use of gender neutral and nonbinary pronouns in Danish. A 2018 questionnaire study found that the pronouns de ‘they’, hen, and den ‘it.C’ were all used as chosen personal pronouns by Danish nonbinary persons, with de being the most popular one. In the presentation I will compare this result with that of a 2021 follow-up survey. Further, a 2020 conversation analytical study found that de is used as a generic and/or gender neutral pronoun serving to downplay gender in conversation, while hen is more likely to be used to orient to gender(-neutrality or -divergence) as a relevant topic. The presentation will discuss various possible relevant factors for Danish pronoun use, including sociolinguistic variables such as age and LGBTQIA+ status, language attitudes, and influences from English and Swedish
Modern Fascism’s Fascination with the ‘Good Ol’ Family’ Values of an Imagined Past
No full textThe contemporary movement of white nationalists, neo-fascists, and so-called accelerationists frequently conjures notions of an idealized masculinity, the heterosexual family, and the inherent fragility of femininity in its propaganda and outreach efforts. The discourse employed by these movements, typically summoned via powerful imagery and internet memes, relies on these gendered and sexualized themes to present the white, heterosexual, cisgendered male as protector of the family, and it is this notion of ‘families under siege’ that inspires many on the far- right into action. This study utilizes a video corpus assembled from contemporary clandestine groups including the Atomwaffen Division, Fuerkreig Division, American Identity Movement, and Patriot Front to analyze how these images are used to mobilize disaffected males towards reactionary violence. Three researchers have been reviewing, coding, and analyzing these videos for the past year and through this presentation, will share the methodologies employed and initial results of this study. Through a discursive visual and content analysis we will interrogate an emergent world view which harkens back to an idealized and falsely constructed past while seeking to inspire a dystopian future. Through exploring themes such as whiteness, family, marriage, procreation and the values enshrined, I seek to ask: Why is the imagined white family a recurrent and salient focus for these networks? Simultaneously, I explore how opponents of these networks—collectively labeled as ‘antifa’—respond to these messages through images and discourses which similarly rely on gendered expectations and archetypical constructs. As seen through movement propaganda, internet culture, and rhetoric, we will explore how these related but divergent discourses emerge, are enacted, and are resisted in action and voice
Like lesbian separatism, but for straight dudes”: Comparing the language of lesbian separatist and Men Going Their Own Way manifestos
No full textIn this talk, we analyse ten manifestos, five historical ones written by lesbian separatists and five contemporary ones posted online by men who seek to limit their interactions with women (a community known as Men Going Their Own Way, or MGTOW). Our aim is to determine how the language used in the two sets of texts is similar or different, to show to what extent two seemingly opposed groups share more similarities than may be assumed at first sight.
The texts were chosen for their character as manifestos: they spell out the group’s core beliefs and argue what actions do or should follow from them. The selection of the lesbian separatist texts was based on previous research (Author, 2008), while the MGTOW data set comprises the five texts with manifesto characteristics that were top-rated on the r/MGTOW subreddit on the online platform Reddit.
The analysis proceeded in two steps: first, we did a close reading of the texts to identify linguistic features and discursive functions that the two sets have in common, e.g. absolute quantifiers and interdiscursivity. Next, we systematically analysed these features and functions in the data to ascertain similarities and differences within them.
For example, we found that both communities use absolute quantifiers (‘our oppressors … have hated … us in every culture in patriarchal history’, ‘a woman will always … define male maturity as being ready to submit to marriage’) to present their statements as factual truth and homogenise the respective out-group. On the other hand, interdiscursivity, while featuring in both data sets, show different ideological influences, such as socialism vs neoliberalism.
Despite the similarities in language, a crucial difference between the two groups is that lesbian separatism embraces a communal ethos and seeks to realise community goals, while MGTOWs are notably more indivdualistic and can best be described as an “affective public” (Papacharissi, 2015) rather than as a political movement. Our study therefore suggests that persuasive features and functions in texts can be used by groups that are different in character and organisation, and be used to express diametrically opposed ideologies
Online Communities of Use for Neoreflexives
No full textWith much discussion of “singular they”, relatively little attention has been paid to the corresponding reflexive form. Themselves tolerates a singular antecedent, though corpus data from Twitter shows themself emerging as a preferred singular form. This paper examines the reflexive pronouns in numerous neopronoun paradigms (neoreflexives), initially to investigate whether or not the -selves is maintained for non-gendered third person singular forms. Data are gathered by searching Twitter for multiple neoreflexives, gathering data over three one-month windows in 2018 and 2019. While -selves forms are quite rare, answering the initial question, other patterns emerge when examining the communities of use for various neoreflexive forms. Perhaps surprisingly, uses in a grammatical sentence with the intention to signal non-binary or other queer identities are exceedingly rare, as a portion of the overall corpus. The “e” forms eself, emself, erself are largely lost amidst tweeters in Africa and the north of the UK, who are orthographically representing their local dialects. Similarly, zemselves does occur in the corpus, but as a marker of non-native English voice. The only form to be in relatively stable use within the queer/non-binary community over all three time windows is hirself. Otherwise, which forms are being actively used within the community seems to be shifting, as in Summer of 2018, emself is the most frequently used in a full sentence, though this is outpaced by xemself in Summer 2019. While this might be a response to awareness of some neoreflexives being part of the dialect of other groups, this may be a response to another shifting use of neoreflexive forms. Some neoreflexives, particularly those with an -er- string parallel to herself (e.g. xerself, zerself), are shifting in use toward right-wing Twitter accounts as tools to denigrate feminine, queer, and non-binary identity. These are being used in a mocking tone, often referring to well-known female figures in progressive politics. Furthermore, by the Summer 2019 dataset, some neoreflexives seem to be being used as terms of abuse within the right-wing Twitter community, carrying a sense of emasculation where the neoreflexive is replacing yourself
Putes Feministas’: Inclusive Language and Social Media Activism
No full textThis research centers on Ammar, a union of sex workers to examine sexual politics in the post-colonial capitalist state. Ammar advocates for the legalization of sex work in order to contest the social stigma attached to sex work and improve their working conditions. They demand labor rights and benefits such as healthcare and retirement funds, identifying themselves as distinct from sex-trafficking victims. Ammar emphatically insists that maintaining sex work in the realms of illegality not only prevents them from enjoying workers’ rights but also exposes them to increased institutional violence. Feminist-Marxist theorist Silvia Federici has provided a historical account of the criminalization of sex work and its ties to the emergence of the capitalist mode of production (Federici 1998). Under current capitalist conditions, the advent of social media platforms has channeled sex work to novel forms of representation and community-building that resist criminalization. While feminist debates have long concerned themselves with sexuality as a possible avenue of political liberation, scholars have yet to address the ways in which sex workers inform the plurality manifested in the “feminismos populares” that characterize Latin America today and play a part in the development of inclusive language. Inclusive language in Argentina has replaced the x with an e (Latine, todes, amigues) to include gender non-conforming individuals. These recent changes in linguistic expressions of sexual politics incarnate and confront structural inequalities based on assemblages of gender and sexuality. Using critical discourse analysis, this research dissects how sex workers challenge constrictive notions of gender and sexuality through the use of inclusive language in social media (Friedman 2017). Through this framing, contemporary definitions of citizenship, labor, and desire coalesce in the Global South to identify the specific ways in which organized sex workers advance gender equity