There has been increasing attention to the intersections between gender, sexuality, and marginalization within societies that are traditionally structured along rigid binaries. Existentialist philosophers have argued that individuals create their own sense of identity through interactions with others and the world around them, and this idea has been applied to queer theory as well. This article will explore how existentialist philosophy can illuminate LGBTQ experiences of resilience, meaning-making, and selfhood in the face of social marginalization.
Existentialist philosophy emerged in Europe after World War II, as a response to the horrors of fascism and totalitarianism. The main tenets of existentialism include an emphasis on individual freedom, choice, responsibility, and authenticity. According to existentialists like Jean-Paul Sartre, people must take ownership of their lives and make their own choices based on personal values and beliefs. They cannot rely on external forces or structures for meaning, but rather must create it themselves. This concept of free will is central to understanding human agency and autonomy, which is especially important when considering experiences of marginalization.
LGBTQ people often experience exclusion, discrimination, and oppression due to their identities, which can challenge their sense of self-worth and belonging. Existentialist philosophy offers a framework for understanding these experiences by emphasizing the role of choice and meaning-making in shaping our identities.
Sartre argues that humans construct their own reality through their perceptions and interpretations of the world around them. In other words, we create our own realities by making decisions about what to pay attention to and how to respond to it. By acknowledging the subjective nature of identity, existentialist philosophy highlights how LGBTQ individuals can resist marginalization by creating alternative narratives and meanings.
Existentialist philosophers also recognize the importance of embodied experience in shaping our identities. Simone de Beauvoir argued that gender is not biologically determined but socially constructed, and that women's experiences are shaped by the expectations placed upon them by society. Similarly, queer theorists have critiqued traditional binaries of sex/gender and masculinity/femininity as artificial constructs that limit our ability to express ourselves fully. By recognizing the fluidity of gender and sexuality, existentialism helps us understand how LGBTQ individuals can resist social norms and create new ways of being in the world.
In addition to exploring identity formation, existentialism can illuminate the processes of resilience and survival in response to social marginalization. Heidegger believed that people face death anxiety throughout life, which motivates them to seek meaning and purpose. This idea has been applied to queer theory to explore how LGBTQ individuals navigate social marginalization while still pursuing authentic lives. Resilience requires taking risks, challenging assumptions, and creating new possibilities - all actions that existentialist philosophers emphasize as central to human agency.
Existentialist philosophy offers a valuable perspective for understanding LGBTQ experiences of resilience, meaning-making, and selfhood in the face of social marginalization. By acknowledging the subjective nature of identity and encouraging individual freedom and choice, existentialism highlights the potential for LGBTQ people to resist oppression and create alternative narratives.
How can existentialist philosophy illuminate LGBTQ experiences of resilience, meaning-making, and selfhood in the face of social marginalization?
The existentialist philosophy has been used as a framework for understanding human experience by many scholars, including those studying the psychology of sexuality and gender identity. Existentialists emphasized that individuals are responsible for their own choices, actions, and beliefs and that these factors shape our identities. According to existentialism, each individual is unique and has a unique perspective on life. This uniqueness allows people to create their own meanings and interpretations of reality.