Introduction: Queer Convivialist Perspectives for Sustainable Futures

Abstract

The special issue of World Futures on “queer convivialist perspectives for sustainable futures” focuses its attention on the potential insights that queer approaches may bring to sustainability research and to the search for sustainable futures. It suggests a queering of conviviality, reaching beyond the anthroponormative limitation of the Convivialist Manifesto and its lack of attention to bodies, while taking up its focus on humans as desiring beings and its implicit invitation to queer good lives. The contributed articles share transdisciplinary (academic and arts-based) research that offers analyses and interpretations opening up new perspectives for transformation of individuals and society.     

Rôle du cahier des charges et de l’évaluation de sites web sur l’effet de conformité à travers la gestion de contraintes et la qualité ergonomique de pages web

IntroductionPrevious studies have shown that the schedule of conditions orientates the designers’ activity. It leads them to generate and consider more constraints linked to the prescribed ones (provided in the schedule of conditions). In addition, when designers had to evaluate websites before making their productions, they reused into their own productions some characteristic from websites evaluated and visited before designing (that corresponds to the conformity effect).ObjectiveWe carried out an experimental study that aimed to determine the mutual influence of schedule of conditions and conformity effect on constraints accounted by designers and usability quality of the web pages they created. No study has determined the combined effects of these two points of web design on the designers’ activity.MethodTwo groups of professional web designers (the first one dealt with a creative schedule of conditions and the other one with an ergonomic schedule of conditions) had to create two webpages (home page and another one). The experimental study was divided into three successive stages: (1) launching of the two-page design, (2) evaluating two websites, and (3) continuing the two-page design.ResultsThe main results showed that the constraints prescribed in the schedule of conditions affected the first stage of design. Nevertheless, after the evaluation stage (stage 2), this influence decreased during the last design stage (stage 3).ConclusionThe evaluation improved the number of constraints linked to end-users taken into account by the designers during the last stage of their design activity. Nevertheless, the usability quality of web pages created by designers was higher for the designers who dealt with the ergonomic schedule of conditions than for the others.     

Holy Ferment: Queer Philosophical Destabilizations and the Discourse on Lesbian,Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Lives in Christian Institutions

Abstract

Employing insights from queer theorists this article explores what might be at stake philosophically in the contemporary ferment around homosexuality in the Western churches. Hutchins argues that the ferment is an effect of the destabilization of the metaphysics of substance by queer discourse and practice causes. In other words what gay Christians threaten is the notion that categories of identity are fixed and capable of categorization. This notion is built into the very grammar of our lives making it hard to think, act, write or speak outside of it, and much liberation, feminist and gay and lesbian theology has not attempted to do so. But as the hegemonic illusion is ruptured, Hutchins suggests that it is imperative for all those involved in the debate to come to terms with the violence and insufficiency of the metaphysics of substance.     

Home and hiddenness: queer theology,domestication and institutions

ABSTRACT

This essay examines tropes of hiddenness and domestication in queer theology, particularly in light of the increasing mainstreaming of queer theologies in institutional (e.g. university, seminary, church) settings, and the inclusion of queer theologies by straight academics and teachers on their syllabi. Drawing on James C. Scott’s work on revolution as a luxury of the elite (by way of the Arab Spring, the UK riots of 2011, and the US demonstrations in 2014), and Judith Halberstam’s construction of “failure” as a strategy of queer resistance, I ask whether there will continue to be a role for “shadow queernesses” which reject institutional acceptability. However, I also suggest that the increased visibility of queer theology within mainstream institutions does not inevitably imply compromise or “toothlessness,” but may in fact testify to the pre-existing presence of queer diversity in multiple contexts and the inhabitation by queer scholars of various “homes.”     

The continuing relevance of “queer” theology for the rest of the field

ABSTRACT

What does it mean to queer theology? How is this task of queering theology relevant to and engaged with mainstream academic theological discourse? What is already queer about theology? What direction should queering theology take in the future? This special issue examines these key questions, among others, which are at the heart of the overall project that has been referred to as “queer theology”. In this introduction to the volume, we outline common strands of thought, and key issues and questions that undergird and interlace the essays in this volume. We also provide a brief history of queer theology, highlighting four themes that we consider essential to the study of queer theology as a whole: (1) the role of witness, (2) the project of disentangling the “real” issues from the incidentals in reactions to a queer presence in the Church, (3) the creative rereading of tradition with an eye toward emancipation and (4) the ways in which queer theology orients the field of theological studies as a whole to what really matters (or ought to matter) for Christians and others seeking to follow the witness of Jesus.     

Queer(ing) Moves: Beyond Anthropocene,Toward Convivial,Sustainable Futures

Abstract

The essay will outline possibilities for be(com)ing other-Wise convivial, interbetween. To this end, relational possibilities for embodied enlivening are described as queering practice for moving from Anthropocene toward sustainable futures. Based on exploring certain qualities of be(com)ing queer some perspectives on queer futures are discussed. Related to Merleau-Ponty’s eco-phenomenology the paper then opens up possibilities for an embodied, convivial relation with nature (“con-naturality”) and social life (“con-sociability”). Finally, queering the type of the Anthropos, provides pathways for “anthropo-decentric” transformations toward a convivial future as an “ecocene.”     

The Rainbow Connection

Abstract

In this article, Cheng argues that the symbol of the rainbow—with its associated characteristics of multiplicity, diaspora, and hybridity—can be a helpful way of understanding the experiences of queer people of asian descent. Cheng sketches out an outline of a rainbow theology for queer Asian Christians and examines the classical doctrines of Trinity, eschatology, and Christology in light of such a theology. He concludes by examining possible future directions for queer Asian theologies.     

“Never known as anything but an absence,I dare not name him as god:” queer theology and the via negativa

ABSTRACT

Farley draws a parallel between the philosophical anti-essentialism of queer theory and the theological anti-essentialism of apophatic theology. She argues that absolutizing interpretations of authority conspire with dogmatic theology to strip reality of its mystery and human beings of their dignity. Greater attention to anti-essentialist theology provides one strategy toward appreciation of plurality, not least queer embodiments of the human adventure.     

Queer Muslim love: a time for ijtihad

ABSTRACT

Across the globe, Muslim communities have developed, and are continuing to develop, a theology of compassion, non-judgmental attitudes, and support toward queer Muslims. This discourse uses ijtihadic analysis to support acceptance of queer Muslim love, because religion is a strong and deep social construct that acts as a moral compass where Muslim queers learn to feel “unacceptable”, “bad”, and “worthless” and under the mercy of the horrified gaze of mainstream, heteropatriarchy, which uses religious arguments to contest the rights enshrined in the South African constitution. It provides a case study as a pedagogical reflection to share intentions, process, and outcomes of sexual diversity workshops to support queer Muslim love to broadly raise critical consciousness about alternative sexual orientations and identities.     

Do web-based competitions promote physical activity? Randomized controlled trial

ObjectivesIntroducing competitions may inspire positive behaviour change but they tend to be implemented alongside other strategies. Thus, the study examined the effectiveness of a competitive web-based intervention to promote physical activity, disentangled the effects of competition from other behaviour change techniques, and identified underlying mediators.DesignRandomized controlled trial.MethodsPhysically inactive adults living or working in a UK city (n = 281) were recruited. Participants were randomized to one of three web-based conditions: a control group; a group encouraged to self-monitor their steps and who received basic feedback; a group encouraged to self-monitor their steps who received basic feedback plus additional feedback to instigate competition. Participants' physical activity was monitored through pedometers for one-week pre-intervention and for four-weeks during the intervention period. Participants completed the BREQ-2 and measures of intention, planning, goal conflict, goal importance, effort, commitment, perceived behavioural control and self-efficacy pre- and post-intervention.ResultsParticipants in the competition condition increased their steps significantly more than those in the control group with the effect being mediated by increased goal importance, identified motivation and intrinsic motivation. Participants in the competition condition increased their steps more than those in the self-monitoring condition. There was weaker evidence that the self-monitoring group increased their steps more than those in the control condition.ConclusionsSelf-monitoring and feedback can increase physical activity but adding a competitive component, implemented via the web, can boost goal importance, identified motivation and intrinsic motivation that mediate these increases in physical activity.     

Good Catholics: The Battle over Abortion in the Catholic Church

Abstract

Queer readings of the Bible are sometimes understood to be irrelevant for uses of the Bible in theology, theological education, and ministry. This address challenges that understanding by considering ways in which portions of the Bible take positions vis-à-vis religious tradition that parallel moves made in queer theory and queer theology. Using the task of preaching as an example, the address suggests that queer readings can be useful for the practice of Christian ministry even as such readings challenge certain ‘common-sense’ conceptions of ministry, theological education, and religious community.     

A Paradoxical Theology of Biology

Abstract

This article examines a sermon in which Desmond Tutu advocates for gay rights in light of his activism against apartheid in South Africa. In doing so it uncovers a paradoxical theology of biology that enables him to advocate universal notions of justice simultaneously with love for particular persons and bodies. This advocacy, however, is susceptible to the critiques of queer theorists and theologians who worry that liberationist frameworks unwittingly reinscribe injustices against a variety of queer persons. The article concludes by raising new questions to be asked about Desmond Tutu’s theology, and liberation theologies in general, about the potential of liberationist and prophetic frameworks for achieving social justice. It also raises questions for queer theology about the possibility and political efficacy of queering the act of preaching.     

Messianic language in trans public speech*

ABSTRACT

This essay examines how two trans public figures, Lou Sullivan and Jennifer Finney Boylan, try to realize the need for transgender legibility through messianic rhetoric. Messianism is a site of contention in queer theory, between advocates for either antirelational queer theory or queer utopianism. This essay sees messianic rhetoric as a strategy found in the public speech and writing of Sullivan and Boylan, each of whom instrumentalize it to achieve legibility. Such rhetoric works to the political end of broader transgender acceptance. However, it also relies upon a flattening of trans life into a monolith. Messianic rhetoric legitimates a singular narrative of “how to be trans” through excluding other possibilities. Public speech that rejects this universalizing messianic impulse is possible. The zine “Fucking Trans Women” represents such a possibility, focusing attention on experience and pleasure over narrative linearity, thus providing one path forward for trans public speech.     

Battling for the Bible: Academy,Church and the Gay Agenda

Abstract

This paper considers the fact that the academic resources of contemporary biblical scholarship are employed by both sides in the Church debate on homosexuality. When historical and critical evidence has been marshalled, decisions continue to be made on the basis of prior commitments to deeply held theological convictions. This being the case it is important to consider the role that biblical scholars play in debate. It can no longer be considered adequate that they continue to supply supposedly objective knowledge concerning the texts while remaining silent concerning the ethics of interpretation. In the future queer theology will exercise a profound impact and queer readings that move beyond the current boundaries of ‘legitimate’ interpretations will proliferate. This will radically reshape the terrain on which debate takes place. However, at the present moment, there is an urgent need to question the ethics of interpretation within the academy itself.     

Wish You Were Queer: Exploring the Potential of Queer Play Parties to Arouse Social Change

Abstract

This article explores how the practice of BDSM sex parties within the queer community can inspire social structure alternatives conducive to sustainability. Drawing from the notion that the dominant social order of neoliberal hetero-patriarchy undermines our ability to address sustainability challenges as a collective, I demonstrate how the same culture disproportionately alienates the queer community. Taking from the theory of subaltern counterpublics, I highlight how social structures created at BDSM queer sex parties challenge dominant cultures and create spaces of inclusivity and radical participation, specifically through communication. These are key criteria called for in commons management, relevant for sustainable futures.     

Is Smoking Queer? Implications of California Tobacco Denormalization Strategies for Queer Current and Former Smokers

ABSTRACT

This article is concerned with normative conceptions of health structuring tobacco control strategies designed to “denormalize” tobacco use. Analysis of 201 interviews with non-heterosexual and/or non-cisgender adults in California revealed that participants implicated tobacco use in exacerbating health inequities and perpetuating harmful narratives of queer suffering, but also regarded smoking as a critical tool for self-care and symbol of resistance. Participant narratives suggest that using stigma in health promotion efforts which reinforce normative conceptions of health may be harmful to queer people whose social identities exist within ongoing legacies of pathology, health stigma, and deviance from hegemonic structural norms.     

In the Name of Safety: Discursive Positionings of Queer Youth

This paper explores the connections between two common circulating discourses about queer youth and the ways that these discourses are wielded in the name of creating safe spaces for queer youth. First, the discourse of innocence is still applied to queer youth, however, the application has shifted to focus largely on the ways that queer youth are innocent victims in a society structured around heteronormativity. Second, a common response to this innocent victim discourse has been to position queer youth within a discourse of activist educators. “Discourses not only represent the world as it is (or rather is seen to be), they are also projective, imaginaries, representing possible worlds which are different from the actual world, and tied into projects to change the world in particular directions” (Fairclough 2003, p. 24). Gay Straight Alliances are one example; GSAs have sprung up across the country because adults, queer adults and allies in particular, have employed both of these discourses in policy decisions and discussions regarding queer students. This paper will highlight some of the ways the discourses of innocent victims and activist educators have been used in the GSA movement. The paper will apply a queer theory lens to the relationship between these discourses and the GSAs to tease out the ways that they work to simultaneously support queer students and serve to limit how queer students and their schools are imagined. The paper will conclude with a discussion of some possibilities for reworking, rupturing, or transforming these discourses so that schools, as well as the queer students and teachers within them, might be better served.     

Queering “Straight” Preaching

Abstract

Well-meaning straight preachers may approach the issue of LGBTQ equality in the church from a standpoint of compassion, but queer theorists such as Lee Edelman have critiqued “compassion-compulsion” as a subconscious selfprojection, requiring that others become just like us. This article presses straight preachers to go further than simply preaching to include “others,” instead challenging such preachers to open themselves and their congregations to the risk of transformation. Drawing from the philosophical hermeneutics of Paul Ricoeur, this article suggests that preachers move towards others in a gesture of “recognition” that resembles gratitude, and by such a gesture to receive the risky gifts others have to offer. This gratitude for the gifts of others becomes a motive for engaging in queer theory and queer theology, but this motive also puts us at risk. The risk of preaching that seriously engages the gifts of others includes queering ourselves, allowing ourselves to be scandalized by the risk of transformation asked of us by the gospel we preach.     

Intersections of Queer art and African Indigenous Culture: The Case of Inxeba (The Wound)

ABSTRACT

This article assesses some recurrent criticisms based on respect for traditional culture levelled at artworks that thematise non-heteronormative gender positionalities in South Africa. More specifically, it reconsiders the stormy, local reception of the South African movie Inxeba (The Wound), a queer love story set in the context of the male initiation rites of the Xhosa community. The article focuses on criticisms of the movie based on the alleged misrepresentation and misappropriation of indigenous cultural practices. It aims to reflect on the complicated knot of problems that queer artists and activists have to navigate in South Africa, including entrenched heteronormative traditions, but also multiculturality and racial privilege. New ways of negotiating these problems are proposed through the development of a more complex topographical account of the intersections of multiple forms of marginality, as well as through the application of multiculturalist theories regarding ways to assist oppressed minorities in traditional cultures.     

Teaching Violence Prevention

Summary

This paper defines violence from a Public Health perspective. It offers recommendations for creating a curriculum to teach health professionals about the critical issues involved in establishing a more peaceful society. Specific learning objectives, teaching methods, and examples of group discussion activities are presented, as well as an extensive bibliography. The intention is to make available to health professionals information that promotes an understanding of the overall impact of violence in our society, and specific skills in the recognition and management of victims of violence. Because of the importance of domestic violence as the center of the web of violence in our culture, emphasis is placed on understanding the dynamics and effects of this specific form of violent behavior. Teaching violence prevention occupies a critical role for medical education.