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Brimacombe, Z.

University of British Columbia

“Queer Spiritualities” are spiritual frameworks for understanding LGBTQ+ subjectivities that have become increasingly important within queer communities in North America since the mid-20th Century, and particularly since the onset of the AIDS crisis. This thesis explores the relationship between collective identity formation and knowledge production through a critical discourse analysis of recent popular non-fiction books by and for practitioners of “Queer Magic.” When framed through concepts of “epistemic injustice” and “epistemic resistance,” Queer Magic Discourse produces empowering knowledges enabling individuals to interpret their own gender and sexuality in ways that challenge homonegativity (“hermeneutic resources”). Two concepts in particular develop a collective, oppositional identity shared among authors and readers of Queer Magic literature: that of “liminal power” – a unique, spiritual power possessed by queer people by virtue of their existence between or across defined social categories – and that of the “queer tribe” – a view of all queer people around the world and throughout history as spiritually interconnected with one another. This collective identity also forms within the settler colonial context of contemporary North America, among a community of predominantly white, settler queer spiritualists. Queer Magic Discourse therefore becomes a site for this population to contend with their relationships to history, power, and coloniality; to challenge or reinforce “queer settler colonialism”; and to seek out spiritual practices and frameworks that align with their political views. This research contributes to an understanding of identity and knowledge as fluid and contested concepts, shaped and influenced by collective experiences. Moreover, it illuminates how alternative spiritualities intersect with queer subjectivities to foster resistant ways of knowing. This study reveals the potential for Queer Spiritualities, and their associated discourse, to support and empower LGBTQ+ populations in challenging oppressive structures of identity and knowledge.

Text

2024-04-30

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/88109

Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/