Naming, Belonging, Reference
What's in a Name: Use of the Word "Queer" as Self-identification
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Robert Alberts, Diane Zosky
This paper introduces research that explored terms that college-aged, self-identified LGBTQ people use for self and other reference, especially use of the word queer. The language and terms one uses for self-identification can be instrumental in the development and integration of one’s sense of self. This is particularly true regarding gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation. For LGBT people, influential aspects of identity construction are the terms used for identification and their corresponding social value. Terms denoting positive and negative social value have changed over time and how LGBT people respond to a term can be different from generation to generation. This seems to be particularly marked with use of the term “queer.” Use of the word queer has evolved over time and across contexts. Some still bristle when hearing the term and associate it with hate and derision. Others may embrace it as a radical, political contestation of resistance to heteronormativity. The results from this study provides empirical evidence that college-aged people have reclaimed the word queer as acceptable for gender or sexual orientation identification, although it is not the most frequent term used for their own self-identification.
Political Rhetoric in India: A Case Study of Shiv Sena in Maharashtra
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Neeraj Shetye
Political rhetoric in a modern democracy has several complexities including a huge number of speakers, the quantity of information, diverse viewpoints, number of candidates, and the impact of the digital age. Indian politics has always witnessed claims of identity; first in the formation of Pakistan as a separate nation and then internal linguistic division of states. Politics in India since the seventies have been visibly dominated by uses of rhetorical language and number of slogans. This idea of how language can steer an individual to establish or adopt a certain viewpoint has not been a focus of study in the Indian discourse. There are in-depth studies by western thinkers on European or American political rhetoric unlike their Asian counterparts such as China, India or any of the Pacific nations. Is there something that makes political rhetoric in India unique than the West? How do we see connections between language and emotions in this scenario? While attempting to answer these questions, this project aims to study the growth of a political organisation in Mumbai and its suburbs: Shivsena. One primary intention behind this research is to connect and analyse the vast dispersed literature that is available and contribute to a field that has not been adequately analysed in academic discourse.
