Queer Temporality is an approach to understanding time that challenges conventional linear models of history and progress. It focuses on the ways in which identities and experiences are shaped by cycles of power, violence, and resistance. This approach can be particularly helpful for exploring how oppressive structures are created and maintained, as well as how they can be dismantled. In this article, I will explore how queer temporality can illuminate cyclical patterns of oppression, liberation, and ethical relationality.
Feminist scholars have long recognized the importance of considering historical context when examining issues such as gender inequality. Similarly, queer theorists have emphasized the need to understand sexuality and gender identity within larger social and cultural frameworks. Queer temporality takes these insights further by recognizing that histories of oppression and resistance are often cyclical rather than linear.
Consider the rise of feminism and gay rights movements in the 1960s and 1970s. These movements were fueled by a sense of urgency and outrage over systemic sexism and homophobia.
Their success was short-lived, and both movements experienced significant setbacks in the following decades. Today, we see resurgent backlash against both feminism and LGBTQ+ rights, with conservative groups seeking to roll back legal protections and public support.
This cycle suggests that oppression and liberation are not simply one-time events but part of an ongoing struggle. Understanding this pattern requires us to look at the underlying structures that create and maintain systems of power, including capitalism, colonialism, racism, ableism, and other forms of oppression. We must also examine the ways in which individuals and communities resist and subvert these systems, building new models of collective action and solidarity.
Queer temporality can help us understand how cycles of oppression and resistance play out across time. It highlights the role of memory and forgetting in shaping our experiences of the past and present. By remembering history and recognizing patterns of oppression, we can better identify strategies for creating change.
We might recognize that certain struggles have been won before, only to be forgotten or suppressed, and seek to revitalize those tactics today. Or we might recognize that contemporary activists are reenacting historical battles in new contexts, giving them greater clarity about what is at stake.
Queer temporality also emphasizes the importance of ethical relationality. This means understanding ourselves as connected to others, both within our own identities and across differences. It involves recognizing that our relationships are dynamic, changing over time, and require constant negotiation. This approach helps us build coalitions and solidarities that transcend individual identities, acknowledging the intersections between different forms of oppression and marginalization.
Some feminist scholars argue that queer theory has helped to challenge traditional notions of gender, while LGBTQ+ activists have criticized patriarchal structures within the movement itself. This tension suggests that queer temporality requires us to grapple with the complexities of identity and power, rather than seeking simple solutions. It also reminds us that alliances and solidarities are always contested and must be continually negotiated.
Queer temporality offers a powerful way of thinking about cycles of oppression and resistance. By focusing on the ways in which systems of power are reproduced and challenged over time, it helps us understand how movements grow, decline, and resurface. It also highlights the need for ethical relationality, requiring us to engage with others in meaningful and transformative ways. As we work towards collective liberation, this approach can help us see past obstacles and imagine alternative futures.
Can queer temporality illuminate cyclical patterns of oppression, liberation, and ethical relationality?
Queer temporality is a concept that explores how temporal phenomena such as trauma, history, memory, and futurity intersect with identity categories like race, gender, sexuality, ability, and class. It highlights how these categories are shaped by power dynamics and social structures that can perpetuate oppressions while also creating opportunities for resistance and liberation.