project title
The relationality of the "National" and the "Homosexual" during "transformation".
Theoretical writings with cases and examples from Poland
project description
There is an extensive and rich literature about the relation of gender and nation in general, and in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) in particular. However, there is significantly less work done on the relation of sexuality and nation. Especially in the context of the CEE, the scarcity is striking. This project is therefore a modest contribution towards bridging the gap in this research area. The research focuses on scrutinising reciprocal processes occurring between the figures of "Homosexual" (in various manifestations, e.g.: as "gay community", as discourses produced by gay people or LGBT organisations, and conversely, as discourses in mainstream media), and the "National" (incorporating state, nation, nationalist movements, popular national/ist discourses, rhetorical strategy) in the course of their re-formation in Poland after 1989. It seeks to understand how the Polish "post-communist transition" context shapes understandings of homosexuality and sexual politics, and how new and distinct identities (i.e. lesbian and gay) and communities are formed in specific locations. It tries to understand the impact of the "Homosexual" on the ongoing debates about Polish national identity in the new (liberal democratic and capitalist) reality. The focal point of the research on the "National" and the "Homosexual" is far too grand to be encompassed in one doctoral thesis. Being aware of that, I thus not claim to find answers to all issues that may arise on the crossroads of these two categories. By narrowing the scope of the analysis to the Polish case, it hope to provide some new arguments and examples in the general academic discussions; and at the same time, provide new perspectives onto the study of Poland in what became to be known as "post-communist/socialist studies".
01.
Are the "National" and the "Homosexual" related in prevailing discourses stemming from (and being about) communitarianism and individualism (liberalism) as value systems? And if so, how?02.What is the connection between the "National" and the "Homosexual", and how is it established and maintained in the process of "Othering" (producing exclusions)?
03.How do the "National" and the "Homosexual" relate to each other in the discussion over the nature of "public space" and "(nation-)state"?
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