Queer temporality refers to the understanding of time that challenges conventional concepts of linear progression and emphasizes the importance of non-chronological narratives, discontinuities, and intersections between past, present, and future. In this context, it is possible to reconsider traditional family structures and their associated values, such as those based on kinship ties, blood relations, and biological reproduction. Instead, queer temporality promotes alternative forms of collective care, characterized by fluidity, hybridization, and openness to new possibilities. The concept of queer temporality is particularly relevant for exploring how individuals can cultivate ethics of care beyond linear generational continuity.
One way to think about queer temporality in relation to ethics of care is through the lens of intersectional feminist theory. This perspective recognizes that gender, sexuality, race, class, ability, age, and other social categories shape our experiences and relationships, including our capacity for empathy, solidarity, and support. According to this view, traditional family structures tend to reinforce heteronormative, patriarchal, and ableist assumptions about who deserves care and how it should be provided.
Parents are often expected to prioritize the needs of their children over those of themselves or partners, while women are burdened with most domestic labor and childcare responsibilities. Queer temporality offers an opportunity to break down these binary, hierarchical dynamics and develop more equitable, inclusive ways of relating to one another.
Polyamorous families offer a compelling model of collective care that challenges normative notions of romantic monogamy and nuclear family structures. Polyamory involves multiple romantic partnerships where everyone involved shares responsibility for emotional support, household tasks, and decision-making. In this context, care is not tied exclusively to biological kinship or genetic relatedness but rather is extended to all members of the network. Similarly, chosen family networks based on affinity and mutual support may provide alternative models of care, such as those developed among activists, artists, and community groups. These networks can foster creativity, resilience, and resistance in the face of oppression.
Queer temporality also raises important questions about how we navigate time, memory, and history. While linear narratives of progress suggest that we move forward toward a better future, queer temporality invites us to explore discontinuities, ruptures, and disruptions that reveal alternate possibilities. This approach emphasizes the interconnectedness of different eras and cultures, acknowledging that our pasts and presents coexist simultaneously within us. It also prompts us to consider how dominant ideologies shape our understandings of time and relationships, encouraging us to challenge assumptions and embrace new perspectives.
Queer temporality cultivates ethics of care beyond linear generational continuity by offering an alternative vision of family structures and social relations based on fluidity, hybridization, and openness to possibility. By reimagining time and relationships through the lens of intersectional feminism and other critical frameworks, it challenges traditional hierarchies and binaries while opening up new paths for collective care.
It also demands a willingness to engage with historical legacies, cultural differences, and social inequalities to create truly equitable and inclusive forms of relating to one another.
Can queer temporality cultivate new ethics of collective care beyond linear generational continuity?
There is an ongoing debate among scholars about whether queer temporalities can cultivate new ethics of collective care that transcend traditional notions of linear generational continuity. Some argue that queer time can be used as a tool for creating alternative narratives and challenging dominant discourses that emphasize heteronormative family structures and patriarchal power dynamics.