Homonationalism In Queer Times Analysis

Terrorist assemblages: Homonationalism in queer times by Jabir k. Puar discusses the dynamic intersections between queer, postcolonial and poststructuralist theory. By postulating a radical view of queer theory, her work challenges the oppositional discourse within and outside the LGBT cultures. She states in first chapter, “(…) “U.S. sexual exceptionalism,” a narrative claiming the successful management of life in regard to a people, what is now joined by an exceptional form of national homonormativity, in other words, homonationalism.” (p.2) Through Identification of homonationlaism as an exceptional form of homonormativity; she establishes the argument in the introduction by reflection upon neo-imperialist and contemporary homonormativity. She charts out, “There is a commitment to the global dominant ascendancy of whiteness that is implicated in the propagation and this brand
She also discussed ‘Affect’ as a process of individual responses to the outside structures (political, economic etc.) and how these responses are communicated to create possibilities. She explains the assaults of terrorist during post 9/11, most notably on turned Sikh Americans that prompts the notion of “mistaken Identities” happens because of a visual mistake and their resemblance to the way Muslims usually dressed up. She asserts that it is not just the visual that comes into play, but affective resonances of the turbaned terrorist bodies creating multiple modes of anxiety in the observer. This discussion leads to the concept of intersectionality-class, gender race intersection with queerness as an assemblage. She explains assemblage as a binary contestation between queer-non queer studies/subjects. Puar’s work argue that it is hard to capture complex structure of multiple discourses surrounding culture, religion, politics as this assemblage is contradictory in nature and in identity