Читать книгу Freedom to Differ - Diane Helene Miller - Страница 20

In a context of gay civil rights and lesbian feminism, right-wing backlash and “lesbian chic,” this book examines the political and social construction of “the lesbian” in the 1990s. By analyzing the discourse surrounding the struggles of two lesbians whose stories attracted national media attention, I explore the kinds of lesbian representations that emerge from debates within military and political institutions. In a broader frame, I investigate the complexity of notions of visibility and voice in assertions of lesbian identity, as well as the promise and the threats that accompany the highlighting of these metaphors as liberatory strategies.

This study will contribute to scholarship in rhetorical, feminist, and gay and lesbian studies, all of which intersect in instances of lesbian representation. Lesbian oppression is accomplished in part through rhetorical means, particularly the suppression of language and the denial of representations. However, when such suppression is no longer entirely effective, new language and representations, whether generated by opponents or proponents, can themselves further the cause of oppression. In addition, the language and images a group employs to portray its own struggle shape both the manner in which the group envisions its liberation and the ways in which its detractors formulate their opposition. By focusing on a marginalized group that has only recently begun to generate images and language that reach a public audience, this study reveals how choices about representation shape the possibilities for individual identity, group identity, and a liberatory vision. Those choices, at the same time, help define how a group articulates its struggles, its defeats, and its triumphs.