Queer theory / post-structuralism Flashcards
what is structuralism interested in?
interested in the unconscious structures and social forces that regulate human conduct
what does Bordieu consider in his study ‘the Berber House or the World Reversed’?
Looked at how houses were structured and organised, represented the deep structures people lived with
what differentiates structuralism and phenomenology?
Focuses on direct experience, but experience can only be made sense of through concepts, which are structured
what 2 linguistic structures did Saussure label?
Launge and parole
what is Launge to Saussure?
formal, grammatical system of language
what is Parole to Saussure?
speech, the way we use language to express ourselves
what did Saussure argue?
Linguists need to study launge rather than the subjective ways people use language
what is a signifier?
arbitrary word, actual word itself
what is a signified?
abstract concept/idea of what a cat is
what did Foucault believe about structuralism?
Proposes that systems of thought and knowledge are governed by rules that operate beneath the consciousness of individual subjects
what does Foucault address in the Archaeology of Knowledge?
Foucault attempts to uncover the different conditions that make discourse possible
what does the Archaeology of Knowledge mean?
the study of the rules that determine what can be said within a particular discourse
what example does Foucault utilise in the Archaeology of Knowledge?
Foucault uses his archaeological method to study psychiatry. He was interested in the discourses that categorise certain individuals as deviant or insane – fund that within a certain point of history those who were ‘mad’ were seen as having a certain type of wisdom, however with the advent of medicalization and enlightenment they become excluded
what does Foucault believe influences the ‘truth’?
Some individuals in more important positions to define ‘truth’
what is the genealogical method?
a form of history that accounts for the constitution of knowledge and discourse on terms of power
why did Foucault move away from the archaeological approach?
it wasn’t focused enough on issues concerning power, which is distributed unequally
what does Foucault highlight about sexuality in the History of Sexuality?
Notion that everyone has a sexuality are a fairly recent discourse
what does sexuality allow us to do for Foucault?
occupy subject positions
what questions does he highlight in regards to sexuality during his research? (2)
How do we come to know about our sexuality? What categories are available for us?
how does Foucault believe individuals have power?
Power creates new objects of knowledge and acquires new bodies of information, which allows individuals to govern over eachother
what does Foucault outline in Discipline and Punish?
from 1757 and the 1830s, torture was replaced by rules and regulations
what did he call the new rules and regulations?
‘new disciplinary mode’
why did he say the shift had occurred from torture to rules?
not to be more humane, but to give individuals powers to exclude and was more efficient by being impersonal
who designed the Panopticon?
Bentham
what was the Panopticon?
Only needs one guard in the middle, and they’re able to see into every cell
what’s the point of the Panopticon?
the prisoners have no idea whether they are being watched, but the fear is enough
how does Foucault see the Panopticon as representing society?
individuals police themselves and behave as if they are being observed
where did queer theory emerge from? (2)
post-structuralism/gay and lesbian studies
whose work does Butler expand on within Gender Trouble?
Foucault
what does Butler argue within Gender Trouble?
Human subjects should be understood in terms of their social construction and therefore have no foundational essence or core
How should gender be understood for Butler?
gender should be understood as a series of gendered acts, repetitions and rituals which are constructed by society
How do subversive gender performances like drag lead to gender trouble?
they can challenge and expose the norms surrounding appropriate performances
what is the heterosexual matrix?
proper men’ and ‘proper women’ are seen as heterosexual
How can Butler’s ideas be criticised? (3)
- Too abstract? Fails to capture everyday lived experiences of those who transgress gender norms
- Needs to recognise the positive gains made by organised campaigns for rights and justice by questioning the category of women
- Represents gender and identity as something negative – are people as imprisoned by concepts and structures as queer theorists suggest?
what can’t queer people do for Butler?
define an identity - only disturb one
what do Atkinson and DePalma discuss within ‘Un-believing the matrix: queering consensual heteronormativity’?
how educational processes should try and tackle heteronormativity within the classroom
what is the performative reinscription?
the discursive process by which the marginalised Other brings new meanings to normative identity constructions
what is the heterosexual matrix to Atikinson and DePalma?
the conflation of sex-gender-sexuality which leads to the normalisation of heterosexuality
how does heteronormativity operate for Atkinson and DePalma?
The heterosexual matrix is self-sustaining and self-replicating, that is, since we take it for granted, our actions can serve to perpetuate it’
How do Atkinson and DePalma argue a child calling something ‘gay’ should be taken?
not treated as if it was an insult, but rather questioned
