Abstract

LE ROUX, Mark  and  DREYER, Yolanda. Archaeology of homophobia: Building blocks of power. Herv. teol. stud. [online]. 2013, vol.69, n.1, pp.1-8. ISSN 2072-8050.

The article investigates present-day discourses which demonstrate coercive power with regard to sexuality according to which people are attributed an identity. Such hegemony restricts existential authenticity. The article shows that, although sexual minorities could have public rights according to constitutional law, they still experience marginalisation because of victimisation on account of a heteronormative societal discourse. The article consists of an introductory section in which Michel Foucault's notion of 'the archaeology of knowledge' is used to explore levels of perceptions in society which illustrate perceptions and ideas on homophobia. The first section focuses on the phenomenon of stigmatisation. The second section describes the process of stereotyping taboos that result in the phenomenon of internalised homophobia. The article concludes with a deconstruction of homophobia by emphasising the recognition of the Other by means of a contradiscourse to heteronormativity.

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