Public sphere

A concept in continental philosophy and critical theory, the public sphere contrasts with the private sphere, and is the part of life in which one is interacting with others and with society at large. Much of the thought about the public sphere relates to the concept of identity and identity politics.

Heidegger claims that Dasein must balance its activities in the public sphere with its private, authentic activities, but believed ultimately that engagement in the public sphere was necessary to truly be Dasein. Hannah Arendt inverted Heidegger's claim, arguing that in fact the only true and authentic self was the self in the public sphere.

Franz Fanon discusses the way in which one's identity in the public sphere and one's identity in the private sphere can become dissonant, leading to what he calls dual consciousness. His examples deal with issues of colonialism, and the way in which a colonized subject is forced to publicly adopt a foreign culture, while privately they maintain their identity as their own culture.

In contemporary thought, informed by the rise of postmodernism, questions about the public sphere have turned to questions about the ways in which hegemonic forces dictate what discourse is and is not allowable in the public sphere, and in turn dictate what can and can't be formulated as a part of one's identity. For example, the concept of heteronormativity is used to describe the way in which those who fall outside of the basic male/female dichotomy of gender or whose sexual preferences are other than heterosexual cannot meaningfully claim their identities, causing a disconnect between their public selves and their private selves. Lauren Berlant has gone so far as to argue that there is in fact no public discourse about sex or sexuality whatsoever, leaving all sexual identity in the realm of the private sphere, where it is, in her view, deadened and powerless.

Important contemporary thinkers about the public sphere include Jürgen Habermas, Michel Foucault, Louis Althusser, and Eve Sedgwick.

See also public place.

Sexual identity

This article refers to sexual identity as used by sexologists, rather than to sexual orientation, sexual behaviour, gender identity, gender role or sex

Queer

"Queer" is a controversial word, literally meaning unusual, used by and for people whose sexual orientation and/or gender identity are against the normative: a unifying umbrella term for people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, transsexual, and/or intersex. In this usage, it is usually a synonym of such terms as LGBT or lesbigay. "The term 'queer' itself, as positive nomination rather than hurtful slur" dates from 1990 (Thomas 2000 and Berlant and Warner 1995) and was popularized by the activist group Queer Nation. The term was then used by Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick (1991) in her Epistemology of the Closet and broadened to include contexts, nuances, connections, and potentials in addition to self-identities (Gantz 2000). According to Judith Butler (1993), "'Queer' derives its force precisely through the repeated invocation by which it has become linked to accusation, pathologization, insult. This is an invocation by which a social bond among homophobic communities is formed through time. The interpellation echoes past interpellations, and binds the speakers, as if they spoke in unison across time. In this sense, it is always an imaginary chorus that taunts 'queer'".

The term is often capitalised when referring to an identity or community, rather than merely a sexual fact (compare the capitalized use of Deaf), a usage some regard as pretentious and elitist.

Among homosexuals, more people identify as gay or lesbian than as "queer". Andrew Parker (1994), among others, defines queer as, "a non-gender-specific rubric that defines itself diacritically not against heterosexuality but against the normative," while Michael Warner (1993) defines queer as "resistance to regimes of the normal." Thus, queer is a much more political term and is often used by those who are politically active; by those who strongly reject traditional gender identities; by those who reject sexual identities such as gay, lesbian, bisexual and straight; by those who see themselves as oppressed by the heteronormativity of the larger culture; and/or by heterosexuals whose sexual preferences make them a minority (for example, BDSM practitioners). However, Lauren Berlant and Michael Warner (1995) suggest that participation in "queer publics," is, "more a matter of aspiration than it is the expression of an identity or a history," though this may say more about the possiblity or impossiblity of subverting the normative.

Many people, however, identify primarily as Queer rather than gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered or intersex. Some feel that other labels do not adequately describe their sexual identity and preferences. Many LGBT people believe that using the umbrella term queer is a positive way to reclaim a term that was previously used against them, stripping the term of its power to insult. This usage is becoming increasingly common among youth. Another reason that some people use the Queer label is because they find LGBT to be cumbersome to use, particuarly when the acronym is expanded.

Some queer people identify as such because they feel it empowers them to be themselves on a level that goes beyond the rigid limitations of the traditional binary interpretation of sexual orientation (either homosexual or heterosexual, or bisexual in the middle) and gender identity (male or female). For these people, being queer means throwing such labels and their expectations out the window and just embracing the fact that their sexual identity or practices is simply different from the norm in one or more ways.

Leo Bersani (1995) argues against definitions of queer, specifically Warner's, that put "all resisters in the same queer bag--a universalizing move I appreciate but that fails to specify the sexual distinctiveness of the resistance. I find this particularly unfortunate since queer theorists protest, albeit ambiguously, against the exclusion of the sexual from the political."

Also, combinations can occur, like queer tranny fag, genderqueer and others.

Historically, the term was an epithet for gay men, bordering on profanity. Since the term originated, and in many circumstances persists, as a homophobic slur, and because another common meaning of the word is "strange", many members of sexual minorities do not favour its use. An early recorded usage of the word as an attack on a gay man, was in a letter by John Sholto Douglas, 9th Marquess of Queensberry to his son Lord Alfred Douglas.

Contents [hide]
1 See also
2 Bibliography
3 Sources
4 External link

See also

Bibliography

  • Sedgwick, Eve Kosofsky (1991). Epistemology of the Closet.
  • Inside/Out: Lesbian Theories, Gay Theories (1991)
  • Butler, Judith (1993). Bodies That Matter: On the Discursive Limits of "Sex", p.226. New York: Routledge.
  • Warner, Michael ed. (1993). Fear of a Queer Planet: Queer Politics and Social Theory. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

Sources

  • Thomas, Calvin, ed. (2000). "Introduction: Identification, Appropriation, Proliferation", Straight with a Twist: Queer Theory and the Subject of Heterosexuality. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0252068130.
  • Parker, Andrew (Fall 1994). "Foucault's Tongues", Mediations 18:2: 80.
  • Berlant, Lauren and Warner, Michael (May 1995). "What Does Queer Theory Teach Us about X?" PMLA 110:3:343.
  • Warner, Michael (1993). "Introduction", Fear of a Queer Planet: Queer Politics and Social Theory, p.xxvii. Ed. Michael Warner. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
  • Leo Bersani (1995). Homos. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.
  • Butler, Judith (1993). Bodies That Matter: On the Discursive Limits of "Sex", p.226. New York: Routledge.
  • Gantz, Katherine (2000). "Not That There's Anything Wrong with That: Reading the Queer in Seinfeld"

External link

 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations by or about Queer.



Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queer"

Cultural movement


A cultural movement is a change in the way a number of different disciplines approach their work. This embodies all art forms, the sciences, and philosophies. Long ago, different nations or regions of the world would go through their own independent sequence of movements in culture, but as world communications have accelerated this geographical distinction has become less noteworthy. When cultural movements go through revolutions from one to the next, genres tend to get attacked and mixed up, and often new genres are generated and old ones fade. These changes are often reactions against the prior cultural form, which typically has grown stale and repetitive. An obsession emerges among the mainstream with the new movement, and the old one falls into neglect - sometimes it dies out entirely, but often it chugs along favored in a few disciplines and occasionally making reappearances (sometimes prefixed with "neo-").

There is continual argument over the precise definition of each of these periods, and one historian might group them differently, or choose different names or descriptions. As well, even though in many cases the popular change from one to the next can be swift and sudden, the beginning and end of movements are somewhat subjective, as the movements did not spring fresh into existence out of the blue and did not come to an abrupt end and lose total support, as would be suggested by a date range. Thus use of the term "period" is somewhat deceptive. "Period" also suggests a linearity of development, whereas it has not been uncommon for two or more distinctive cultural approaches to be active at the same time. Historians will be able to find distinctive traces of a cultural movement before its accepted beginning, and there will always be new creations in old forms. So it can be more useful to think in terms of broad "movements" that have rough beginnings and endings. Yet for historical perspective, some rough date ranges will be provided for each to indicate the "height" or accepted timespan of the movement.


Graeco-Roman - The Greek culture marked a departure from the other Mediterranean cultures that preceded and surrounded it. The Romans adopted Greek and other styles, and spread the result throughout Europe and the middle east. Together, Greek and Roman thought in philosophy, religion, science, history, and all forms of thought can be viewed as a central underpinning of Western culture, and is therefore termed the "Classical period" by some. Others might divide it into the Hellenistic period and the Roman period, or might choose other finer divisions.

Classical architecture -- Classical sculpture -- Greek architecture -- Hellenistic architecture -- Ionic -- Doric -- Corinthian -- Stoicism -- Cynicism -- Epicurean -- Roman architecture -- Early Christian -- Neoplatonism

Romanesque -- 11th & 12th centuries. A style (esp. architectural) similar in form and materials to Roman styles. Romanesque seems to be the first pan-European style since Roman Imperial Architecture and examples are found in every part of the continent.

Romanesque architecture -- Ottonian Art --

Gothic

Gothic architecture -- Gregorian chant -- Neoplatonism

Nominalism -- Rejects Platonic realism as a requirement for thinking and speaking in general terms.

Humanism - 1500s

Renaissance - use of light, shadow, and perspective to more accurately represent life. Because of how fundamentally these ideas were felt to alter so much of life, some have referred to it as the "Golden Age". In reality it was less an "Age" and more of a movement in popular philosophy, science, and thought that spread over Europe (and probably other parts of the world), over time, and affected different aspects of culture at different points in time. Very roughly, the following periods can be taken as indicative of place/time foci of the Renaissance: Italian Renaissance 1450-1550. Spanish Renaissance 1550-1587. English Renaissance 1588-1629.

Mannerism - anti-classicist movement that sought to emphasize the feeling of the artist himself.

Mannerism/Art

Baroque - emphasizes power and authority, characterized by intricate detail and without the "disturbing angst" of Mannerism. Essentially is exaggerated Classicism to promote and glorify the Church and State. Occupied with notions of infinity.

Baroque art -- Baroque music

Rococo

Neoclassical - 17th-19th centuries - severe, unemotional movement recalling Roman and Greek ("classical") style, reacting against the overbred Rococo style and the emotional Baroque style. It stimulated revival of classical thinking, and had especially profound effects on science and politics. Also had a direct influence on Academic Art in the 1800s. Beginning in the early 1600s with Cartesian thought (see René Descartes), this movement provided philosophical frameworks for the natural sciences, sought to determine the principles of knowledge by rejecting all things previously believed to be known about the world. In Renaissance Classicism attempts are made to recreate the classic artforms - tragedy, comedy, and farce.

Cartesian -- French neoclassicism 1630-1680.

Romanticism - 1770-1830 - Began in Germany and spread to England and France as a reaction to Neoclassicism. The notion of "folk genius", or an inborn and intuitive ability to do magnificent things, is a core principle of the Romantic movement. Nostalgia for the primitive past in preference to the scientifically minded present. Romantic heroes, exemplified by Napoleon, are popular. Fascination with the past leads to a resurrection of interest in the Gothic period. It did not really replace the Neoclassical movement so much as provide a counterbalance; many artists sought to join both styles in their works.

Symbolism

Realism - 1830-1905 - Ushered in by the Industrial Revolution and growing Nationalism in the world. Began in France. Attempts to portray the speech and mannerisms of everyday people in everyday life. Tends to focus on middle class social and domestic problems. Plays by Isben are an example. Naturalism is a more extreme version of Realism that followed it briefly. Impressionism, based on 'scientific' knowledge and discoveries concerns observing nature and reality objectively.

Fauvism -- Post-impressionism -- Pre-Raphaelite

Art Nouveau - 1880-1905 decorative, symbolic art

Transcendentalism

Modernism - 1880-1965 - Also known as the Avant-garde movement. Originating in the 19th century with Symbolism, the Modernist movement composed itself of a wide range of 'isms' that ran in constrast to Realism and that sought out the underlying fundamentals of art and philosophy. The Jazz age and Hollywood emerge and have their hey-days.

Cubism -- Futurism -- Suprematism -- Dadaism -- Constructivism -- Surrealism -- Expressionism -- Existentialism -- Op Art -- Art Deco -- Bauhaus -- Neo-Plasticism -- Precisionism -- Abstract expressionism -- Pop Art -- Photorealism -- Minimalism -- Situationism

Postmodernism - 1965-? - A reaction to Modernism, in a way, Postmodernism largely discards the notion that artists should seek pure fundamentals, often questioning whether such fundamentals even exist - or suggestion that if they do exist, they may be irrelevant. Exemplified by movements such as deconstruction, conceptual art, etc.

Postmodern philosophy -- Postmodern music

See also

Links


Public space

(Redirected from Public place)

One definition of public space or a public place is a place where anyone has a right to come without paying an entrance or other fee.

Typical examples are most roads, including the pavement, and public squares and parks.

Typical differences between e.g. sitting on a public bench and sitting on a seat in a pavement café:

  • the first costs nothing
  • there is no time limitation
  • one can consume brought-along food and drinks (for alcoholic beverages the law prohibits this sometimes; this may even be the case if it is allowed in a pavement cafe)
  • a pavement cafe may have a dress code such as a prohibition of being shirtless, while in a public space only general law applies

The halls and streets (including skyways) in a shopping center may or may not be declared a public place and may or may not be open when the shops are closed. Similarly for halls, railway platforms and waiting rooms of public transport; sometimes a travelling ticket is required.

A public library is also more or less a public place, but some rules may apply which are absent outside.

In Norway and Sweden, all nature areas are considered public space, due to a law; allemansrätten (everyones-right).

In general, there is no expectation of privacy in a public space.

Public spaces are attractive for budget tourists and homeless people, especially those that are relatively comfortable, e.g. a shopping center that provides shelter and, in a cold climate, is heated (or cooled in a hot climate). Sometimes the presence of homeless people is not appreciated and measures are taken to make the public space less attractive to them; the comfort of regular users may be affected by these people but also by the measures against them, e.g. no benches, a lower temperature, waiting rooms that are locked in the evening, etc.

See also: Free good, Performance, Public property, Scarcity, public art.

A broader meaning of public space or place includes also places where everybody can come if they pay, like a cafe, train, movie theater, brothel, etc.

A shop is an example of what is intermediate between the two meanings: everybody can enter and look around without obligation to buy, but activities unrelated to the purpose of the shop are not unlimitedly permitted.

See also: public sphere.