Ross, Charlotte (2006) Queering space in Turin. In: Public and Private Space in Italian Culture, March 2006, London. (Unpublished)
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Abstract
This article engages with scholarship on the sexualisation and queering of public spaces, drawing on ethnographic research carried out in LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer) commuities in Turin in 2006, the year in which the city hosted ‘Pride Nazionale’. In the Italian context, problematically heteronormative forms of sexuality are ever-present in the media, while sexual minorities face a hostile climate in which their rights are not yet fully recognised. I argue that this climate has been mitigated by activist initiatives, and forms of inhabiting and occupaying space, from everyday socialising, to participation in specific cultural activities, to large-scale demonstrations, which all contribute to ‘queerings’ of space. The article further suggests that the queering of space enables community building, increases the visibility and status of minority populations, and is a vital means to achieving greater livability. However, this queering is often temporary, amounting only to a ‘tactic’ rather than a ‘strategy’, to use de Certeau’s terminology.
Type of Work: | Conference or Workshop Item (Paper) |
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School/Faculty: | Colleges (2008 onwards) > College of Arts & Law |
Department: | Department of Italian Studies |
Date: | March 2006 |
Subjects: | H Social Sciences > HT Communities. Classes. Races |
ID Code: | 1467 |
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