CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2022
| Author | Suyderhoud, Tim |
|---|---|
| Title | Our Boys: Deconstructing Homonationalism and identifying (New) Discourse on Masculinities Through Queer Representation in Dutch Media |
| Summary | The last ten years have seen a radical change in the way we understand, perform, and represent identity in the context of the Netherlands. A country with a progressive reputation regarding LGBTQ+ emancipation is found lagging behind neighbouring countries uncovering persistent gendered issues and xenophobia reflective of homonationalist politics. Now, a sudden increase in diverse media representation suggests the emergence of a new discourse on queer identification, challenging traditional nationalist ideals. In this research I aim to identify the trajectory of Dutch discourse on masculinity in particular by examining performances of gender, sexuality, and nationalism as intersecting signs of identity. Moreover, I propose the significance of new masculine discourse to the deconstruction of homonormativity and homonationalist politics in my analysis of Dutch film, television, and theatre. What do these staged performances tell us about changing practices of identification and the changing national masculine ideal? The focus lies on the production of gay/queer masculinities, as I imagine their performativity to be situated within the nexus of subjectification and transformation of discourse. I find that, although they are up for discussion, traditional, nationalist notions of manhood perpetually play an important role in the lives and identifications of male identifying queer bodies. However, new, intersectional negotiations of gender and sexuality represented in mainstream media indicate a rapid generational shift. I argue that in the last 5 to 10 years, straight acting, masculine anxiety, brotherhood, fluidity, and vulnerability, are implicitly and explicitly discussed in various, films, series, documentaries, and theatre productions, pointing towards the emergence of new masculinities and a subversion of homonormativity and traditional, national ideals. Contrastingly, gay male identifying bodies continuously show signs that reproduce national homonormative ideals to which entertainment’s de-politicisation of queer issues and practices of gaystreaming contribute. |
| Supervisor | Timar, Eszter; Bassett, Kath |
| Department | Gender Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2022/suyderhoud_tim.pdf |
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