Queer Temporal Frameworks and History
History is often told through narratives that are linear and heteronormative, which can obscure alternative perspectives and experiences. Queer temporal frameworks challenge these dominant discourses by emphasizing non-linear and fluid conceptions of time and space. They highlight the ways in which power structures shape historical events, as well as the agency of marginalized groups to resist and create new possibilities for the future. By exploring queer temporality, we can gain a deeper understanding of how history has been shaped by social change and how it may continue to evolve in the future.
FootnoteQueer temporal frameworks have been developed by scholars such as José Esteban Muñoz, David Serlin, and Lauren Berlant./footnote
Queering Time
In Muñoz's "Cruising Utopia," he argues that queerness exists outside of linear time, existing instead within a "here" and "now." This notion challenges traditional models of progress or redemption that assume there will be an endpoint where all oppressions are overcome. Instead, queer utopias allow for multiple futures, each with their own possibilities for pleasure and transformation. Cruising can be understood as a form of queer temporal practice, in which participants engage in non-normative forms of intimacy and eroticism that defy conventional understandings of time.
FootnoteCruising refers to the act of seeking out sexual encounters in public spaces, often on the street or in clubs./footnote
Muñoz also suggests that queer temporalities are not just about creating new possibilities but also about holding onto the past. He writes: "Pleasure is the tense-less verb of memory." This means that queer temporalities do not just look forward towards some imagined future, but instead find joy and meaning in the present moment. By refusing to see time as a straight line leading from one point to another, we can embrace the messiness and complexity of history.
Temporal Antagonism
Serlin's work on temporal antagonism explores how queer temporality can disrupt dominant narratives. He argues that power structures shape our understanding of time, creating a sense of linearity and inevitability.
The capitalist system creates the illusion of progress through its emphasis on growth and accumulation. But this view obscures alternative ways of organizing society and can lead to the exploitation of workers and the environment.
Queer temporal frameworks can challenge these ideologies by highlighting the fluidity and contingency of time. Serlin writes: "Temporal antagonism does not simply mean destroying a given order; it means reordering it, transforming it, making it strange, queering it." In other words, queer temporalities offer a way of reimagining history and the future outside of the constraints of capitalism. They allow us to imagine different forms of social organization and economic systems.
The Intimate Public Sphere
Berlant's concept of the intimate public sphere offers a way of thinking about how queerness can create new possibilities for the future. She argues that the public sphere is traditionally understood as a space of rational debate and consensus-building, but this ignores the emotional and affective experiences of individuals. By bringing attention to intimacy, queer temporalities can expand the boundaries of public life to include more diverse perspectives and practices. This allows for new forms of solidarity and coalition-building across difference.
Queer temporal frameworks offer an important lens for understanding history and social change. They help us see how power structures shape our understandings of time and how they may be resisted or transformed. By embracing non-linear and fluid conceptions of time, we can explore new possibilities for the future while also holding onto the past.
How can queer temporal frameworks inform broader understandings of history, futurity, and social change?
The term "queer temporalities" refers to alternative ways of conceptualizing time that challenge traditional linear notions of past, present, and future. This framework has been embraced by scholars in fields such as feminist theory, postcolonial studies, and critical race studies who seek to disrupt dominant narratives that privilege white, Western, heterosexual, cisgender perspectives on history and progress.