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Queering discourses of coming out in South Africa
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In: Stellenbosch Papers in Linguistics Plus, Vol 42, Iss 0, Pp 127-148 (2013) (2013)
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Abstract:
The performative act of “coming out” authenticates a homosexual identity and in the South African context the coming out narrative has gained such momentum that it is now regarded as an imperative for closeted homosexuals by the Lesbian and Gay Equality Project (LGEP). However, coming out has been critiqued by queer theorists who argue that it is problematic because it forces a person into an already established identity category, strengthens the regulation of sexual categories and is complicit in the reconstitution of these categories. In this paper, these queer critiques of coming out will be employed in order to explore the question of why a person is compelled to confess to the ‘truth’ about their homosexuality in South Africa. The data for this exploration is drawn from three non-fiction gay and lesbian books: “Male Homosexuality in South Africa: Identity Formation, Culture and Crises” (1992) by Gordon Isaacs and Brian McKendrick, “Tommy Boys, Lesbian Men and Ancestral Wives: Female Same-Sex Practices in Africa” (2005) by Ruth Morgan and Saskia Wieringa, and “Performing Queer: Shaping Sexualities 1994-2004 – Volume 1” (2005) edited by Mikki van Zyl and Melissa Steyn. The data was analysed using content analysis and the findings show how homosexuality is extricated from negative discourses of abnormality, promiscuity and fraudulence and reformulated into positive discourses associated with identity politics, normality and progress. In such positive discourses, a person is compelled into disclosure because it is viewed as a necessary step to combat homophobia and conservative family and social norms. This paper argues that as long as the coming out narrative is embedded in the positive discourses of progress, health and enlightenment, it will remain immune to critique of the role that it plays in strengthening heterosexuality as unitary and normative. Finally, this paper suggests that refusing to succumb to the pressure of categorisation could potentially undermine the constraints of the homosexual/heterosexual binary on which the categories of male and female are contingent.
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Keyword:
African languages and literature; coming out; discourse; homosexuality; P1-1091; Philology. Linguistics; PL8000-8844; queer linguistics; queer theory; south africa
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URL: https://doaj.org/article/5f6a65b755c0409f951170aa1c49989c
https://doi.org/10.5842/42-0-144
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| 2 |
Differences in the Inclusion and Treatment of Terminology in OALD3, OALD4 and OALD8
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In: Lexikos, Vol 23, Pp 440-455 (2013) (2013)
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| 3 |
Die rol van taalleeronderrig in Afrikaanse woordeboekwerkboeke
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In: Lexikos, Vol 23, Pp 426-439 (2013) (2013)
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| 4 |
Development in Lexicography: From Polyfunctional to Monofunctional Accounting Dictionaries
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In: Lexikos, Vol 23, Pp 323-347 (2013) (2013)
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| 5 |
Developing The Presentation of Word Formation in General Monolingual Dictionaries
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In: Lexikos, Vol 23, Pp 59-76 (2013) (2013)
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| 6 |
IsiXhosa Lexicography: Past, Present and Future
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In: Lexikos, Vol 23, Pp 348-370 (2013) (2013)
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| 7 |
Woordeboeke en Dowe gebruikers: huidige probleme en die behoefte aan beter oplossings
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In: Lexikos, Vol 23, Pp 113-134 (2013) (2013)
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| 8 |
Das lexikographische Beispiel in der Parömiographie. Formen und Funktionen
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In: Lexikos, Vol 23, Pp 150-171 (2013) (2013)
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| 9 |
Cuban School Dictionaries for First-Language Learners: A Shared Experience
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In: Lexikos, Vol 23, Pp 414-425 (2013) (2013)
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| 10 |
Introducing a New Lexicographical Model: AlphaConceptual+ (and How it Could Be Applied to Dictionaries for Luganda)
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In: Lexikos, Vol 23, Pp 172-200 (2013) (2013)
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| 11 |
'n Kritiese beskouing van woordeboeke met geamalgameerde lemmalyste
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In: Lexikos, Vol 23, Pp 371-393 (2013) (2013)
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| 12 |
Developing Legal Terminology in African Languages as Aid to the Court Interpreter: A South African Perspective
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In: Lexikos, Vol 23, Pp 29-58 (2013) (2013)
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| 13 |
Expectation Levels in Dictionary Consultation and Compilation
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In: Lexikos, Vol 23, Pp 201-208 (2013) (2013)
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| 14 |
How Dictionary Users Choose Senses in Bilingual Dictionary Entries: An Eye-Tracking Study
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In: Lexikos, Vol 23, Pp 228-254 (2013) (2013)
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| 15 |
Birds of a Feather Don't Always Flock Together: User Problems in Identifying Headwords in Online English Learner's Dictionaries
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In: Lexikos, Vol 23, Pp 273-285 (2013) (2013)
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| 16 |
A Balanced and Representative Corpus: The Effects of Strict Corpus-based Dictionary Compilation in Sesotho sa Leboa
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In: Lexikos, Vol 23, Pp 286-296 (2013) (2013)
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| 17 |
The Afrikaans Orthographic Rules as Guide for Other South African Languages
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In: Lexikos, Vol 23, Pp 1-28 (2013) (2013)
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| 18 |
What is a Lexicographical Database?
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In: Lexikos, Vol 23, Pp 77-87 (2013) (2013)
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| 19 |
New Proposals for the Design of Integrated Online Wine Industry Dictionaries
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In: Lexikos, Vol 23, Pp 209-227 (2013) (2013)
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| 20 |
Die leksikografiese aanbieding en behandeling van vaste uitdrukkings
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In: Lexikos, Vol 23, Pp 135-149 (2013) (2013)
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