Of all the boundaries that are discussed and argued in critical and rhetorical theory, one of the most central and persistently controversial is the boundary line in the binary Self/other. The dominant rhetorical theories since Aristotle tend to claim that it is by reducing the division in this most fundamental binary that the most efficacious rhetoric is effected; that is, that bringing parties Self and other closer together before argument (or whatever serves as symbol-exchange within the larger act of rhetorical exchange) is most likely to establish the best preconditions for immediately-following symbol-exchange: This act of getting-together is known as Identification. This dissertation introduces the theory of postidentification (postID), which suggests that recognizing, valorizing, and using the division between the parties in rhetorical exchange--not attempting to find, create, and use similarities--often makes for the most efficacious rhetoric, especially when efficacious means transformative. All extant rhetorical theory continues to be based on various interpretations and iterations of the enthymeme and the syllogism that require various levels of Identification and continue to privilege the dominant party in the exchange, that is, Self (or Same or Selfsame, as they appear and act in different contexts). These Identification rhetorics include rhetorics of resistance emerging from feminist, postcolonial, and queer critical theory. All of these extant theories are dependent on some form of Identification, which means that the more Self and other have in common before the symbol exchange--that is, the more like Selfsame other is forced to be--the likelier some one will be persuaded to change a belief or attitude or to cause action. The new rhetorical theory of postidentification uses differences instead of similarities to establish the preconditions for rhetorical exchange. In short, what postID does is push queer theory or GLBT theory to its logical end: If we can have GLBT theory, why not GLBTYUM<<RTOD##55zxto, etc. ad infinitum . . . theory?

This dissertation presents an historical overview of the interdependent representations of gender, class, ethnicity, race, nationality, sexuality, and (dis)ability in a selection of films and first-person written autobiographical texts from the 1940s to the early twenty-first century. Cinematic and written autobiographical representations of “mental illness” reflect and shape various models of psychological trauma and wellness. I explore the ways that these two genres of representation underscore, exert influence upon, and interrogate socio-cultural understandings and interpretations of deviance and normalcy, madness and sanity, and pathology and health. Some models of health and illness carry more ideological weight than others, and thus differentially contour public policy formation and the materiality of people’s daily lives. My project is distinct from other kinds of scholarship on the subject of women’s “madness.” Whereas scholarship has been written on “madness” and cinema, and on “madness” and autobiography, this related academic work has not consistently drawn linkages between multiple genres or utilized interdisciplinary methodologies to critically explore texts. Feminist scholars who address the interconnections between autobiographies and cinematic representations often pay only limited attention to psychiatric survivors. I draw parallels and distinctions between these genres, based upon my training in social work, cultural studies, film and autobiography theory, medical and linguistic anthropology, and disability studies. My perspective hinges upon my longstanding involvement with and commitment to the subject of women’s “madness” in both personal and professional arenas.

Against Sally Haslanger’s influential position, I argue that gender is not needed to ensure the just treatment of sexually differentiated human bodies. Gender is only needed if the just treatment of socially important sexual differences is most effectively realized through the use of gender terms, such as “woman” or “man.” In light of this aforementioned condition, I assess the following phenomena: sex differences relevant to health and medicine, reproduction, and childcare. In all of these cases, compared to gender terms, non-gender terms, such as “female,” “pregnant person,” or “lactating person,” more simply and accurately capture the morally relevant features of socially important sexually specific phenomena. For this reason, I find that the gender is not needed for justice.

Den här uppsatsen har till syfte att belysa hur heteronormativitet kan ta sig uttryck i förskolan, och vad några femåringar säger om hur de ser på familjebildning och kärleksrelationer. Undersökningen bygger på intervjuer om familjeformer med åtta femåringar. Intervjuerna genomfördes med utgångspunkt i ett antal bilder föreställande människor i olika familjekonstellationer. Den teoretiska utgångspunkten för uppsatsen är en normkritisk pedagogik, med rötter i feministisk poststrukturalism och queerteori. Resultatet av undersökningen visar att barnen i studien hade ett starkt heteronormativt sätt att prata om familjebildning. I ljuset av den tidigare forskning som redovisas i uppsatsen, blir det tydligt att förskolans sätt att arbeta med frågor om sexuell läggning inte lever upp till de krav som läroplanen ställer.

This thesis is centrally concerned with the question of how non-government organisations (NGOs) can support marginalised young people and the role the state plays in facilitating this. It utilises a comparative case study methodology and examines the circumstances of two NGOs, Twenty10: Gay and Lesbian Youth Support, located in Sydney, Australia and the Albert Kennedy Trust (AKT) which is located in both London and Manchester in the United Kingdom. Twenty10 and AKT share a similar client base: both work with gay, lesbian, bisexual and/or transgendered (GLBT) young people experiencing homelessness or in a housing crisis. Both also engage in advocacy and service provision. At the time of my fieldwork Twenty10 and AKT differed in two key respects. First, AKT operated in a political context that was significantly more open to NGO advocacy than was the case for Twenty10. Second, AKT was supported almost entirely by the work of volunteers and through philanthropic support, whereas Twenty10 received the bulk of its funding from government. These differing factors allow a consideration of how the varying nature of an NGO???s relationship with the state impacts upon their activities within varying political contexts. The theoretical frameworks drawn upon in this thesis are those of citizenship theory and queer theory. Citizenship theory is particularly useful in analysing the objectives of Twenty10 and AKT, which focus on redressing the distributive and recognition based needs of their young people. The strategies employed by these organisations are also both subsumed within the normative framework of citizenship theory ??? while nonetheless being dependent upon how closely each engages with the state. These case studies are situated against the queer critique of citizenship discourses, which emphasise its normalising and de-politicising consequences. As such, this thesis evaluates critiques of forms of activism that involve citizenship-focused issues and engagement with the state, and hence examines the effect a relationship with the state can have upon an NGO???s work.

This thesis illustrates how Melodrama and the melodramatic mode have been adapted within contemporary cinema as both a means of commenting on prior LGBTQI representation, and of exposing mainstream audiences to the issues still faced by many within this spectrum. Through my analyses of Carol (2015), Brokeback Mountain (2005), and A Single Man (2009), I examine how filmmakers have drawn on Melodrama as both an aesthetic form, and as a reference to the broader field of generic history and criticism which ground it as a subversive form of societal critique. By focusing specifically on how these three films portray ideological issues of gender, stereotyping, parenthood, aging, and personal shame, my thesis argues that these films are making a commentary on the damaging effects of these discourses on broader society. I also simultaneously question whether the Period Melodrama as a genre can ever fully escape the conservative nature of this form, as well as the implications of continuing to portray those on the LGBTQI spectrum as victims.

Thesis (M.A.)--Carleton University, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 116-122). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2008. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 415-429). Also available online in Scholars' Bank; and in ProQuest, free to University of Oregon users.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Iliff School of Theology, 2008. / Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 129-133).

Thesis (M.A.I.S.)--Oregon State University, 2011. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 126-135). Also available on the World Wide Web.