genderism
n. the pervasive and systemic belief in male/masculine and female/feminine as the only true, natural and correct gender identities and expressions

gender normativity n. the privileged state lived - whether momentarily or perpetually - by those whose genders perceptibly 'fit' with locally-derived and understood expressions of masculinity (for men) and femininity (for women)

gender non-normativity n. the oppressed state lived - whether momentarily or perpetually - by those whose genders do not perceptibly fit, as above

Sunday, January 3, 2010

A new thought for the New Year

My thinking these days has turned from gender as an object of concern to the means by which norms of gender are transmitted and instantiated in time/space through the mobilization of our affect. Basically, instead of thinking about how gender works, I'm drawn to concerns about what we do on an individual affective level that contributes to normalization of any kind.

To that end, here is a nugget for the New Year, that I hope will bear fruit:

Why do we teach children about staring by mobilizing the concept of 'rudeness'? Why do we not tell children that theirs could be the stare that finally pushes someone to leave the realm of humans, as zie has been similarly urged to do for so long?

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