Democracy in Difference: Debating Key Terms of Gender, Sexuality, Race and Identity

Introduction

Democracy in Difference: Debating key terms of gender, sexuality, race and identity focuses on concepts and analytical frames we use when discussing how marginalised identities navigate their place in an assumed common culture.

Many debates related to identities in democracy take place through questions and terms that pay too little attention to how history, power and knowledge are entangled with one another. People assume they know what democracy is, and hold fixed views about what gender, race, sexuality, class and disability are. By focusing on how we think about the meaning of these terms, this book responds to the situation that, separately or combined, common sense and public reason are not sufficient for dealing with differences in the promise of the democratic ideal.’ – Dr Carolyn D’Cruz

This ebook offers a path for exploring how we might build a shared vocabulary when working through the muddle of public debates like identity politics, political correctness, pronouns and what constitutes racism. Democracy in Difference is an unconventional interdisciplinary guide to key concepts, which borrows from decolonial methodologies, Marxism, feminism, queer theory and deconstruction. Key terms are illustrated through written text, La Trobe Art Institute artworks (centering Indigenous artists), poetry, comedy and song, and customised animations which make difficult terms accessible.

As an open access book there is space for interaction from readers and for improving the entries through feedback. The aim is to adjust the concepts as the political landscape keeps changing and new research comes to light. Above all, addressing these terms of debate is written with the pledge to do rather than merely describe the work of justice. – Dr Carolyn D’Cruz

See the Contents below and download the full ebook from the La Trobe University EBureau.

Contents

Introduction

Democracy in difference 2

Key terms

Aporia 12 Binary opposition 16 Biological determinism 20 Borders 26 Capitalism 34 Citizenship 40 Class 44 Colonialism and decolonialisation 48 Cultural capital 54 Culture, cultural studies and culture wars 56 Decolonial methodologies, postcolonialism critical race and whiteness studies 60 Deconstruction and différance 70 Democracy 76 Disability studies 82 Discourse and discursive practices 86 Enlightenment 92 Essentialism and social constructivism 98 Family 102 Femininities 106 Feminism 112 Feminist standpoint theory and experience 118 Gender, sexuality and diversity studies (GSDS) 122 Heteronormativity, homonormativity and homonationalism 126 History from below 132 Human rights 136 Identity and identity politics 142 Ideology 146 Interpellation 150 Intersectionality 156 Kyriarchy and patriarchy 160 Liberalism 164 Marxism 170 Masculinities and hegemonic masculinity 176 Nation, nation-state and nationality 180 Objectivity 186 Oral history and testimony 190 Orientalism 194 Passing 198 Performativity 202 Political correctness 206 Postmodernism, poststructuralism 214 Power, power/knowledge and biopolitics 220 Public/private distinction 226 Queer Theory, LGBTIQA+ identities, 232 Gay and lesbian studies Race, racialisation and institutional racism 242 Representation 252 Repressive state apparatuses and ideological state apparatuses 268 Secularism 274 Sex/gender distinction 278 Sex wars, sex work and pornography 284 Sign 290 Sovereignty 294 Stereotype 298 Trans and intersex identities, transgender studies 304 Violence 312

End Matter

Author bio 322 Acknowledgements 323 La Trobe Art Institute 324 Bibliography 327 List of La Trobe Art Institute artworks 349 List of works 351

Book details

Download the ebook from the La Trobe University EBureau. ISBN: 978-0-6484681-2-7 DOI: https://doi.org/10.26826/1010 This is an interactive ebook containing videos and other interactive elements. It is recommended that Adobe Acrobat be used to utilise these interactive elements, although it is not essential. Content Warning: The author rates this book with an office of literature and film classification of M (mature audiences), though PG (poststructuralist guidance) is probably more appropriate. There is occasional coarse language and content that deals with sex and violence; some material might disturb and cause discomfort; and a few of the theorists and artists cited and used are dodgy characters.

About the author

Dr Carolyn D’Cruz is a Senior Lecturer in gender, sexuality and diversity studies at Latrobe University. Carolyn has been working in gender, sexuality and diversity studies since 2007. She is author of Identity politics in deconstruction: Calculating with the incalculable and is co-editor of the anthology, After homosexual: The legacies of gay liberation.

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