The aim of the study is to analyse the stories of four homosexual women with Muslim backgrounds about coming out as homosexuals, from an intersectional perspective. The experience of coming out as lesbian and the intersectionality are related to different social contexts. The homosexuality becomes a problem in connection to family and countrymen while the Muslim background becomes more of a problem in relationships. Heteronormativity and gender system appear to be cooperating systems of oppression. These women don’t describe themselves as oppressed, but potential oppression is still something that influences their lives. They strive for freedom to be themselves in all everyday situations. The quest for freedom to be able to express their sexuality risks relationships with families and girlfriends. But freedom and symbiosis don’t have to be in opposition. These women have found contexts, for example among friends, where none of the social categories are problematic and where they can experience symbiosis. They can choose certain contexts where they are allowed to express their sexuality. The experiences of coming out is analysed as linked to development in late modernity.

Many of us have grown up hearing or using words meant as insults or negative adjectives that were in fact names for social groups. Most of them have gone unquestioned in the mainstream consciousness, but the term Gay in the generally negative meaning has in the past years been given attention as offensive and homophobic, with debates emerging in response over whether or not this is true, particularly on the internet. It is the articles and forum threads from these debates that make out the empirical material for a qualitative study as I ask what these people’s thoughts are about this term and how it is perceived. After a qualitative coding and analysis of these texts, and interpretation of the results based on Erving Goffman’s theory of Phantom acceptance and stigma terms, Judith Butler’s theory of performativity, Ferdinand de Sassure’s theory of signifier and signified and how it connects to the community and Baudrillards theory of simulacra, this is the principal conclusion that I have drawn: For some of the people in this debate, the term Gay and its use is about homophobia and heterosexism, though mostly it’s not overt but a subconscious part of the continued dehumanization and stigmatization of homo- and bisexual people. This is a position I call The socially focused skepticism. Others distance themselves from this idea, talking about language development, the lack of inherent meaning of words and freedom of expression. Using Baudrillard for guidance, I interpret this as having a different, more abstract view of language than those who connect the term to heterosexism, and with this focus on language I name this position The language centered defense. Yet another group frame their reasoning about the term in compromise, preferring to limit their use of it to certain contexts rather than disposing the habit entirely or risk causing offense. To these people, whether or not the word is homophobic is less relevant to the discussion than showing respect for how it can be perceived, which gives their position the name The compromising position.

The aim of this master thesis in Ethnology and Folkloristics is to study how non-binary transgender people relate to words and identity positions which concerns primarily gender and sexuality. What are their opinions on words such as intergender, queer, trans, man, woman, lesbian and gay? What role do such words play in their everyday life and in the construction of their identities? The study is based on interviews with eight people. Six of the informants have non-binary gender identities and two of them are transgender women with some non-binary experiences. At the time of the interviews, the informants were between 21 and 37 years old. The thesis consists of five chapters, whereof the first chapter introduces the topic, the material and the theoretical foundation of the thesis. The main theoretical framework for this study is queer theories. In the second chapter, some aspects of the everyday life of the informants are presented. How is it to live with a non-binary gender identity? Many informants give an account of the complications which occur because they are neither women nor men. People of the majority population often consider their identities unreal and unintelligible. In chapter three it is discussed how the informants explain their relationship to different words for non-binary gender identities. Their reasons for choosing to use certain words to define themselves with are also presented. Some informants claim that they would prefer to live in a world where they did not have to name themselves. Yet every informant still uses different words to describe themselves with. In chapter four it is demonstrated how choosing a word for one’s identity is a process affected by other aspects in a person’s life. The informants decide on a word for themselves depending on the people around them. Furthermore, sexuality and sexual identity also play a big part in how they conceive and name their gender identity. Finally, chapter five consists of a summary of the thesis and a short passage to widen the discussion

In this thesis statement I explore Sikh-Punjabi masculinity in the diaspora. I am concerned with questioning the construction of my identity and the possible impact of new forms of masculinity on the next generation of diasporic Sikh-Punjabi youth. I use found text and video to examine these new identity constructions. As a foundation for these explorations into masculinity, I am concerned with unveiling concealed and erased memories and realities as related to Sikh-Punjabi diasporic communities. This thesis looks at my work along with the work of other artists.

This thesis offers an analysis of women in horror film through an in depth exploration of what I term ‘gynaehorror’ – horror films that are concerned with female sex, sexuality and reproduction. While this is a broad and fruitful area of study, work in it has been shaped by a pronounced emphasis upon psychoanalytic theory, which I argue has limited the field of inquiry. To challenge this, this thesis achieves three things. Firstly, I interrogate a subgenre of horror that has not been studied in depth for twenty years, but that is experiencing renewed interest. Secondly, I analyse aspects of this subgenre outside of the dominant modes of inquiry by placing an emphasis upon philosophies of sex, gender and corporeality, rather than focussing on psychodynamic approaches. Thirdly, I consider not only what these theories may do for the study of horror films, but what spaces of inquiry horror films may open up within these philosophical areas. To do this, I focus on six broad streams: the current limitations and opportunities in the field of horror scholarship, which I augment with a discussion of women’s bodies, houses and spatiality; the relationship between normative heterosexuality and the twin figures of the chaste virgin and the voracious vagina dentata; the representation and expression of female subjectivity in horror films that feature pregnancy and abortion; the manner in which reproductive technology is bound up within hegemonic constructions of gender and power, as is evidenced by the figure of the ‘mad scientist’; the way that discourses of motherhood and maternity in horror films shift over time, but nonetheless result in the demonisation of the mother; and the theoretical and corporeal possibilities opened up through Deleuze and Guattari’s model of schizoanalysis, with specific regard to the 'Alien' films. As such, this thesis makes a unique contribution to the study of women in horror film, while also advocating for an expansion of the theoretical repertoire available to the horror scholar.

In this thesis statement I explore Sikh-Punjabi masculinity in the diaspora. I am concerned with questioning the construction of my identity and the possible impact of new forms of masculinity on the next generation of diasporic Sikh-Punjabi youth. I use found text and video to examine these new identity constructions. As a foundation for these explorations into masculinity, I am concerned with unveiling concealed and erased memories and realities as related to Sikh-Punjabi diasporic communities. This thesis looks at my work along with the work of other artists.

No description available.

Syftet med denna studie är att utforska och förstå de sätt på vilka manliga samkönade föräldrapar pratar om de kvinnor som varit delaktiga vid barnens tillblivelse. De manliga samkönade föräldraparens berättelser rör dels kvinnan som burit barnet, dels kvinnan som donerat ägg. Denna studie består av nio intervjuer, varav sju involverar båda papporna och två intervjuer involverar ena pappan. Reproduktionsstrategi skiljer sig något åt, men en majoritet av paren har fått barn via värdgraviditet samt äggdonation. Materialet har samlats in via semistrukturerad intervju och analyserats med hjälp av diskursanalys.Resultatet visar att de manliga samkönade föräldraparen använder olika tolkningsrepertoarer då de pratar om bäraren och donatorn. En tolkningsrepertoar som uppkommer när deltagarna pratar om bäraren är bäraren som en nära släkting, men inte en mamma, där det blir synligt att deltagarna behöver förhålla sig till diskurser kring föräldraskap, moderskap och omsorg. En annan tolkningsrepertoar är bäraren som aktiv och självständig och därför inte utsatt, där deltagarna förhåller sig till diskurser kring värdgraviditet och bäraren som en utsatt kvinna. I deltagarnas berättelser om donatorn framkommer tolkningsrepertoaren donatorn som nära kontra avlägsen där deltagarna förhandlar kring hur nära relation de vill ha till donatorn samt tolkningsrepertoaren om donatorn som en betydelsefull individ kontra en instrumentell gengivare där deltagarna behöver förhålla sig till processen med att välja en äggdonator och huruvida man väljer en individ eller ett ursprung.

Through an intersectional feminist lens using Critical Discourse Analysis, this thesis investigates the representations of four prominent women, their embodiments and their sexualities in the lyrics of their songs.

Made available in DSpace on 2010-04-20T20:48:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 3 71050100666.pdf.jpg: 20494 bytes, checksum: 8333bd3ae66ca7fad9f78cef2e970df2 (MD5) 71050100666.pdf: 1238997 bytes, checksum: 1e4b53f618cae75498567a1134e4105d (MD5) 71050100666.pdf.txt: 745247 bytes, checksum: 60d372a039a05439ca15e410a03a0c70 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-09-05T00:00:00Z / The object of this research is to understand the impact of the multiple sexual orientations on the organizations and how this diversity is perceived by the homo, bi and heterosexual employees. Ontologically, this study uses the critical postmodernism, specifically the Queer Theory, which deconstructs all conventional categories of sexuality and gender. The field research consisted of four visits to 13 large companies, in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, between July 2005 and November 2007, as well as 95 interviews, divided in four groups. The first one was composed of heterosexual and the second of homo and bisexual individuals, who were informed of the real object of this research. As a discrepancy of what the heterosexuals said during the interviews and their attitudes in the work environment as well as their comments to other heterosexuals was observed, a control-research was also carried out. Two othe groups – one of heterosexuals and the other of homo and bisexuals – were interviewed; nevertheless, they were informed that the object of the research was to study health in the workplace. The fieldnotes as well as the interviews were transcripted and submitted to discourse and conversational analyses. The findings were presented in five sections: the individual dimension, the social dimension, the workplace environment itself, the psychosomatic costs and, finally, the outcome of the research on health at the workplace. This study revealed that, when questioned about discrimination at the workplace, gays, lesbians and bisexuals tend to recognize the existence of such practices, as well as advocate that they also have been a victim of such. On the other hands, the heterosexuals tend to minimize the existence of such practices, as well as deliver a politically-correct speech. Notwithstanding, it was clear that the heterosexuals have introjected the masculine hegemonic paradigm, which was been built historically through social practices and, discriminatory attitudes and comments are disguised by the Brazilian sense of humour and informality. On the other hand, the research that was guided by the investigative question on health at the workplace revealed that, as the were not being confronted directly, the heterosexuals felt more at ease to express themselves, using homophobic expressions and referring to discriminatory practices. Yet, the homo and bisexuals attained to the question of health itself and, rarely, did they refer or mention discriminatory practices in the workplace. At the bottom line this study confirmed that the sexual orientation per se is only a component of an individual’s personality and, although it may be the ground for prejudice and discrimination, these practices are also caused due other factors such as gender, race, and social status. / Este estudo tem por objetivo apreender como a diversidade de orientação sexual se manifesta e é percebida nas organizações brasileiras. Ontologicamente, o mesmo se valeu da pós-modernidade crítica, especificamente da Queer Theory, a qual traz no seu bojo a desconstrução de todas as categorias convencionais de sexualidade e gênero. A pesquisa de campo se dividiu em 4 visitas a treze grandes empresas, no Rio de Janeiro e São Paulo, entre julho de 2005 e novembro de 2007, e a entrevistas com 95 indivíduos hétero, homo e bissexuais, divididos em quatro grupos. O primeiro foi composto por heterossexuais e o segundo por homo e bissexuais, que foram informados sobre o real objeto da pesquisa. Como foram observadas discrepâncias entre o que os heterossexuais declararam na entrevista e seus comportamentos no ambiente de trabalho, bem como comentários em grupo, foram trabalhados dois grupos de controle. O primeiro, composto por heterossexuais e o segundo, por homo e bissexuais, aos quais foram informados que o objetivo da pesquisa era a questão da saúde no ambiente de trabalho. As anotações de campo e as entrevistas foram transcritas e submetidas à análise do discurso e análise conversacional. As revelações da pesquisa de campo foram apresentadas em 5 partes: a dimensão individual, na qual se analisou o que significa não ser heterossexual; a dimensão social; o ambiente de trabalho em si; a estratégia de não assumir publicamente a orientação sexual e, finalmente, os resultados da pesquisa-controle feita tendo a saúde organizacional como pergunta investigativa. Este estudo revelou que, quando perguntados sobre práticas discriminatórias em função da orientação sexual, os homo e bissexuais masculinos e femininos, em sua maioria, confirmaram a existência das mesmas na sociedade e no ambiente de trabalho,bem como afirmaram já terem sido vítimas. Já os heterossexuais apresentaram um discurso politicamente correto e minimizaram a existência das mesmas. No entanto, ficou evidente que este último grupo, reproduzindo a lógica da hegemonia masculina, introjetou os estereótipos dos homossexuais, os quais foram construídos socialmente. Não raramente, esta discriminação é mascarada pelo senso de humor. Por outro lado, na pesquisa que teve como questão investigativa a saúde no ambiente de trabalho, os heterossexuais não hesitaram em externar mais sua visào heterocêntrica; os homo e bissexuais, por sua vez, não focaram as suas falas em práticas discriminatórias. No limite, em comum, ficou patente que a orientação sexual de um indivíduo, por si só, é apenas um dado categórico, que não necessariamente é fator isolado de discriminação, já que esta também abrange questões como gênero, etnia, classe social e senso estético.