Writing Gender(s): Non-monolingual Perspectives on Performing Subjectivity
Serena Obkircher
In which language is “gender”? Theorizations on agency, subjectivity, and gender have rarely considered the role of language(s) in the construction of gender identity (Butler 2019). Taking this realization as a starting point, this dissertation project investigates the multifaceted dimensions of gender performativity and gender identity through the analysis of literary texts in multiple languages as well as multilingual and non-monolingual fiction.
Drawing on theoretical frameworks from feminist/queer theory, linguistics, and multilingualism in literary studies, I explore diverse strategies of performing gender and making sense of gender identity in non-monolingual and multilingual contemporary fiction. Literary texts in different languages, I argue, demonstrate the possibilities of performative acts offered by different languages and usages of language, therefore defying the claim of a universal meaning of gender, gender performativity, or subjectivity. Using a text-based approach and focusing on close readings of multilingual fiction from the 21st century, forms of in-betweenness and acts of transgression of gender boundaries set by discourse can be identified by investigating the gender performances of subjects in literary texts. The analysis will focus on linguistic and literary strategies that challenge, reject, or try to conform to normative gender roles, heteronormativity, and other power hierarchies.