The floating city : carnival, Cape Town and the queering of space

[摘要] In this thesis I examine the phenomenon of carnival for its corporeal and spatial expressionsof fluid identity formations. The visual constitution of multiple gay/queer identities duringcarnival is commonly regarded as transgressive of the normative order that is ideologicallyand physically imbedded in the structure of city. I suggest, however, that the various localperformances of homosexuality that are mobilised during the Cape Town Pride Parade canbe interpreted as simultaneous reinforcements and contestations of sexual stereotypes. Bytracing discursive and spatial shifts that have occurred within the South African sexuallandscape, I demonstrate how this carnival both transgresses and bolsters heteronormativity.In addition, I explore how race and gender play decisive roles in the constitution of ahomonormative gay identity, and investigate how these male, white homonormativeassumptions are challenged by a minority of black and lesbian participants. In the processof deconstruction, I also reveal how the interaction between spectator and carnivalparticipant blurs binary constructs of stasis/mobility, subject/object, private/public, and'normal'/'abnormal'.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University