italian-studies: Scholarly discussions in any field of Italian studies
Dear colleagues,
following the recent discussion on the use of asterisks and/vs the female gender in Italian language, we believe that the issue is worth further consideration. Indeed, the discussion about language is part of a wider context, of conflicts and alliances, concerning the relationship between feminist and queer approaches, their theoretical frameworks and political strategies.
The difference between the use of asterisks, which blur gender differences in order to move beyond gender binaries, and the use of the female gender, which privileges the visibility of difference, respond to different strategies, in no way necessarily antagonistic but not coexisting in an unproblematic way either.
Whilst queer strategies of gender blurring in language put much emphasis on the symbolic and on the subversive power of performance, it is important that other questions pertaining to the material conditions engendered by systemic oppressions are not sidelined in queer and feminist debates. In fact, we feel that even in the “queer time” we live in, it remains paramount to address the way in which sexism engenders a set of oppressions and exclusions, the effects of which are all too real and visible on the lives of several subjects.
To this, it must be added that situations vary significantly between Italian and Anglo-American contexts, as well as between academic, political and artistic ones. The question of power attached to gender visibility as opposed to gender blurring within queer communities needs to be addressed too.
In order to form productive and solid alliances, we believe that such differences - and even tensions - need to be made explicit and thought through together. Hence, we commit to organise as soon as possible an occasion for such a discussion to take place, aiming at involving participants from both academic and activism contexts.
Hoping that the initiative is of your interest, we will keep you updated with further developments.
Alberica Bazzoni (DPhil candidate, 3rd year, University of Oxford)
Dr. Serena Bassi (Leverhume Early Career Fellow, University of Cardiff)
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