Narrating the intersection

body, time, space and transition in one queer life

Authors

  • Holly R. Cashman University of New Hampshire

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/genl.34633

Keywords:

sexuality, narrative, migration, coming out, queer, identity, ageing

Abstract

This article examines the situated language practices of Susana, a trans woman originally from Mexico who has lived in the US Southwest for over two decades, during a 90-minute, in-depth sociolinguistic interview. The aim of this analysis is to examine the interconnectedness of coming out, migration, physical transformation (hormones, gender confirmation surgery), and ageing, with a particular focus on the indexing of time, space and transition. Methodologically, the qualitative analysis relies the concept of 'thicker intersectionalities' and employs a sociolinguistic approach to narrative analysis. Specifically, the analysis seeks to address how the concepts of the body, time, space, and transition are brought along into the narrative or brought about in the narrative, how these concepts are made relevant to a range of contexts (story-world, interview setting, beyond), how this works to make intersectionality visible, and how this visible intersectionality undermines dominant understandings of trans bodies, transition, and migration.

Author Biography

  • Holly R. Cashman, University of New Hampshire

    Holly R. Cashman is an associate professor of Spanish, women and gender studies, and linguistics at the University of New Hampshire. Her recent monograph is titled Queer, Latinx and Bilingual: Narrative Resources in the Negotiation of Identities (Routledge, 2018). She currently serves as the president of the International Gender and Language Association (IGALA).

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Published

2018-12-05

How to Cite

Cashman, H. R. (2018). Narrating the intersection: body, time, space and transition in one queer life. Gender and Language, 12(4), 416-436. https://doi.org/10.1558/genl.34633

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