Queer temporality is an interdisciplinary field that explores how non-normative forms of time are experienced, structured, and negotiated by queer individuals. It involves studying the ways in which LGBTQ+ people have different temporalities than cisgender heterosexual individuals and how these differences can impact their experiences, memories, and stories. Queer temporality encompasses various concepts such as queer chronologies, queer archives, queer memory practices, and queer genealogies.
Ethical storytelling is about telling stories that center marginalized voices, challenge dominant narratives, and promote social justice. It requires attention to historical context, cultural relevance, and power dynamics. Ethical storytelling can be challenging when considering queer temporality because it must consider multiple temporal perspectives and navigate the tension between linearity and nonlinearity.
Some queer individuals may experience time differently due to trauma or oppression, while others may focus more on collective histories or alternate futures.
The construction of meaningful life narratives depends on one's ability to make sense of their past, present, and future. When queer individuals experience time differently, this can affect how they create and interpret their life narratives. They may struggle with linear timelines, chronological order, or traditional narrative structures.
This also provides opportunities for new ways of understanding and representing themselves and their identities. Self-narration is a process of making sense of one's own life story and can be influenced by one's cultural background, life events, and personal values. Incorporating queer temporality into self-narration can be a way to explore alternative ways of being in the world and creating meaning.
Obligations arise in self-narration because we are responsible for telling our stories accurately, truthfully, and respectfully. This includes acknowledging the complexities and nuances of queer temporalities and recognizing the impact of power structures on lived experiences. As ethical storytellers, we have an obligation to center marginalized voices and challenge dominant narratives without relying solely on individualism or exceptionalism. By incorporating queer temporality into our self-narration, we can create more inclusive and intersectional stories that reflect the diverse experiences of LGBTQ+ people.
How does queer temporality affect ethical storytelling, memory, and the construction of meaningful life narratives, and what obligations arise in self-narration?
Queer temporality is a concept that refers to nontraditional ways of perceiving time and its passing, which may challenge traditional concepts of chronology and historical progression. This can have significant implications for both the creation and reception of ethical stories and memories as well as for the construction of meaningful life narratives. From a storytelling perspective, queer temporality can lead to the exploration of alternative forms of time and space beyond those traditionally considered "normal" or "natural.