Sunday, March 29, 2015

Paris is Burning

     Butler explains that gender is not a fact from which all actions proceed, it is in fact a thing that is constantly renewed, maintaining itself in the ever-changing flux of time. This idea is reminiscent of Sartre's concept of our daily projects being our most defining factor. The idea that gender is hinged upon time is beautifully illustrated in the Harlem Drag Balls in the documentary Paris is Burning. We see each generation of performers all simultaneously changing their style of garb based on what is popular at the time, which was observed and commented on by multiple people within the culture. This is obviously less do to individuals expressing their own identity (although some do) and more to do with whatever is fashionable at the time.
     Butler specifies goes on to say that more general gender-specific actions is very much historically informed. It seems that in Paris is Burning, the gay person is also somewhat of a historically informed social construct. In this social group we see younger generations taken under the wing by older generations, due to their parent's intolerance. These role models undoubtedly partially influence their younger counterparts in speech pattern, mannerism and perspective. This understandable considering the almost gang-like bond that the Harlem gay community shares with one another. Unfortunately though, since this smaller cultural construct is in direct opposition with the larger gender construct of America as a whole, the punitive result the Butler describes has a very real effect on this suppressed minority, which is amplified by the fact that almost the entirety of the Harlem population is black.

1 comment:

  1. It's important to consider, also, that the gender/sexuality binaries were conceived by and enforced by western colonizers. There were (and still are) many many cultures across the globe that displayed the use of third genders and comprehensive gender spectrums. Butler already speaks of how gender is hinged on culture, but how westernized the definition of gender is within a culture greatly affects how genders are "performed". This is especially important relating to your last point about intersectionality and suppression. The non-conforming black community is suppressed from many sides considering how western patriarchy has essentially erased entire histories, including connections to African cultures which were very open to sexualities and genders that were muscled out by the hegemonic hetero-/cisnormativity of their colonizers.

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