Queer temporality refers to the way time is experienced outside of conventional notions of linearity, causality, and chronology. It challenges the normative understanding of time that privileges certain ways of living and being in relation to age, death, dying, and bereavement. By exploring how queer temporalities disrupt conventional narratives about the passage of time, this article will argue that they can offer alternative perspectives on mortality, life course, and aging.
The concept of queer temporality has been developed by scholars working within various disciplines such as feminist studies, gender studies, queer theory, postcolonial studies, critical race studies, and poststructuralist philosophy. According to José Esteban Muñoz, a leading scholar in this field, queer temporality involves a 'dispersion of time' that is not bound by the past or the future but exists simultaneously across all timescales. This means that queer temporality allows for a multiplicity of temporalities to coexist and interact without hierarchy or authority.
This notion of time challenges dominant cultural narratives about aging and death, which often privilege traditional family structures, heteronormativity, and biological reproduction. Queer temporality offers an opportunity to reimagine these concepts through a lens that is more inclusive and expansive.
It opens up possibilities for considering the relationships between older adults and younger generations beyond the traditional roles of parent-child or grandparent-grandchild. It also invites us to consider the role of technology and digital media in shaping our experience of time and space, including the possibility of virtual intimacy and connection across vast distances.
Queer temporality highlights the importance of recognizing individual differences in people's experiences of age and mortality. It calls attention to the way different communities may approach death differently due to their histories, beliefs, and cultural practices. By acknowledging these variations, we can recognize the richness and complexity of human life and embrace our mortality as part of our shared journey together.
Queer temporality prompts us to reflect on how we understand time itself. It asks us to question whether time is linear or cyclical, whether it moves forward or backward, whether it is discrete or continuous. These questions challenge dominant frameworks for understanding time and open up new possibilities for thinking about how we live and die. They also suggest that there are multiple ways to construct meaningful lives, even when faced with the inevitability of death.
This article has explored how queer temporality informs alternative ethical perspectives on mortality, life course, and aging. Through its emphasis on multiplicity, interconnection, and individuality, queer temporality offers a powerful tool for rethinking our relationship to time, death, and dying. By embracing these concepts, we can envision more inclusive and equitable approaches to end-of-life care, grief work, and elder support. We must continue to explore and expand upon these ideas in order to create truly just societies where all individuals can flourish and thrive throughout their lifespan.
How can queer temporality inform alternative ethical perspectives on mortality, life course, and aging?
A significant aspect of queer temporality is the refusal to adhere to traditional notions of time that are often dictated by heteronormative structures, such as marriage, procreation, and family. Instead, queer individuals may prioritize experiences that challenge these norms, such as non-monogamous relationships, gender fluidity, and community-based living arrangements.