Day: March 4, 2018

The antisocial thesis in queer theory is the idea that being queer and queer people themselves are fundamentally incompatible with the social order currently in place, the most apparent example of this being gay sex which unlike heterosexual sex doesn’t serve a reproductive purpose and thereby subverts the social notion of family.  This antisocial thesis is often thought about in conjunction with negativity and follows up on Bersani’s definition of sex as “anticommunitarian, self-shattering, and anti-identitarian” (PLMA 823). One particularly interesting aspect of the antisocial thesis in queer theory is Bersani’s discussion of the media and “its capacity to manufacture subjectivity itself” (203).  Effectively emphasizing the social separation of gay people from the “general public” Bersani notes “the family identity produced on American television is much more likely to include your dog than your homosexual brother or sister” (203).  Another premise which stands out is the connection between queer people and antisocial politics such as anarchy and its parallel in punk music – begging the question: do all queers share the same or at the very least, similar negative and antisocial politics?

Rodríguez’s discussion of “politically incorrect erotic desires” (342) adds some fresh perspective to the antisocial thesis.  These desires are related to the antisocial perhaps in their subversion of power or gender structures also in their multiplicity and limitless possibility.  Rodríguez discusses fantasies to include those not included in Bersani and Edelman’s writings, almost everyone besides gay white men.  Whereas Bersani and Edelman both focus on sexual acts, specifically anal sex between gay men which Edelman links with the death drive, Rodríguez discusses fantasies on a spectrum which brings race, gender, and power into the sphere of erotic desires.

 

Citations:

Leo Bersani, Is the Rectum a Grave?

PMLA, The Antisocial Thesis in Queer Theory

Juana María Rodríguez, Queer Sociality and Other Sexual Fantasies

 

 

The antisocial thesis in queer theory seems to be the idea that LGTBQ+ persons are inherently incompatible with society’s heteronormative designs. The premise of the antisocial thesis stems from most scholars specializing in queer theory like Lee Edelman and Leo Bersani see queer as “standing outside” social models. Edelman belittles any suggestions of a cohesive, gender fluid society (Rodriguez, 2011). Another premise that I hope for, instead, is Jose Esteben Munoz’s ideas of a future where society can let go of categorizations and collapsing social differences to overcome needs for the antisocial thesis (Rodriquez, 2011). Lastly, the article, The Antisocial Thesis in Queer Theory, also offers interesting evidence of antisocial thesis when they talk about the emphasis of procreation and importance of reproduction in society (Caserio et al., 2006). Supposedly, Edelman claims there is a connection with homosexuality and fears of mortality (Caserio et al., 2006).

Politically incorrect erotic desires are seen as acts of sexual deviance that do not fit in with societal beliefs of sexuality (Rodriguez, 2011). These politically incorrect desires enforce the antisocial thesis because there is a wide range of sexual desires that do not fit into society’s norms. Rodriguez seems to focus on fantasy because reality has so many social constructs that has a way of “returning us to forms of sociality that have constructed us as perverse racialized sexual subjects” (Rodriguez, 2011).

 

References

Caserio, R. L., Edelman, L., Halberstam, J., Muniz, J. E., & Dean, T. (2011). The antisocial thesis in queer theory. Modern Language Association, 121(3), 819-828.

Rodriguez, J. M. (2011). Queer sociality and other sexual fantasies. GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies, 17(2-3), 331-348.