Queer temporality is an emerging field of study that explores alternative understandings of time and temporality beyond the heteronormative structures that dominate Western societies. It focuses on how non-heterosexual identities experience time differently from those who are cisgender and/or straight, and how these differences can be used to imagine more equitable and just futures. Queer temporalities challenge traditional linear models of time by rejecting rigid categories such as past, present, and future and instead embracing multiple simultaneous timelines and ways of being in time. This approach offers valuable insights into the ethics of collective futures, as it suggests that alternative modes of existence can be imagined and enacted outside of normative structures.
One example of queer temporality in action is found in the work of writer Octavia Butler, whose science fiction novel "Bloodchild" offers a vision of a post-apocalyptic world where humans have been colonized by aliens. The protagonist, Ganymede, is forced to live in a symbiotic relationship with the alien T'Gatoi, which requires him to mate with his captors and produce offspring.
Ganymede also forms close bonds with other humans living in the colony, including his lover. Despite the constraints imposed by this situation, he finds a way to resist oppression and build relationships based on mutual care and respect. In doing so, he refuses to accept the binary between self and other, male and female, human and alien, but rather creates new, hybrid forms of intimacy.
Another example comes from the work of poet Audre Lorde, who wrote extensively about the intersectional nature of identity and experience. Her poem "Power" explores how power operates within heteronormative structures, especially around issues of race, gender, sexuality, and class. She argues that true power lies not in domination or control, but in collaboration and community building, grounded in love and vulnerability. By rejecting traditional models of power, she opens up new possibilities for understanding and shaping collective futures beyond oppressive structures.
Queer temporalities can offer ethical models for imagining collective futures because they challenge normative assumptions about time, sex, and intimacy. They suggest that there are alternative ways of being in the world that do not require adherence to rigid categories or hierarchies. This approach offers valuable insights into how we might create more just and equitable societies, where all people have access to resources and opportunities regardless of their identities or experiences.
Can queer temporalities offer ethical models for imagining collective futures beyond heteronormative structures?
The notion of "queer temporality" refers to the idea that there are multiple ways of experiencing time, which can challenge traditional notions of linearity and cohesion. In this context, the concept of ethical models is related to the possibility of creating alternative frameworks for thinking about our relationship with time, particularly those that go beyond the dominant heteronormative structure.