The concept of 'queer temporality' is an emerging field within queer theory that explores how queerness can be understood through a nonlinear understanding of time. This approach challenges traditional concepts of linear time and emphasizes the fluidity and flexibility of identity construction. Queer temporality considers the ways in which individuals experience time differently based on their identities and experiences. It also examines how these different temporalities shape personal development, narrative structures, and selfhood.
Personal Development
Personal development involves the process of developing one's sense of self and finding meaning in life. In terms of queer temporality, this process may involve rejecting traditional ideas about linear progress toward a predetermined endpoint or goal. Instead, it may involve embracing a more flexible and circular understanding of growth.
Someone who identifies as gender nonconforming may reject the notion that they must conform to society's expectations around gender and instead embrace the idea that they are constantly shifting and evolving. They may view their life as a series of cycles rather than a linear progression from childhood to adulthood.
Narrative Structure
Narrative structure refers to the way in which stories are told and organized. In terms of queer temporality, this concept may be used to challenge traditional storytelling conventions that rely on a clear beginning, middle, and end. Instead, queer narratives may feature multiple beginnings, middles, and ends that reflect the fluidity of identity and experience. They may also incorporate elements of interruption, repetition, and looping to disrupt the linear flow of the story.
A story about a transgender individual's journey might begin with their transition but then jump backward to explore their childhood, forward to their current relationship, and then loop back to describe their past relationships.
Selfhood
Selfhood is the concept of who we perceive ourselves to be. In terms of queer temporality, this can be challenged by considering how identities and experiences shape our sense of self over time. This approach recognizes that identities are not fixed but constantly changing and evolving. It also acknowledges the ways in which social norms and structures influence our perceptions of self.
A queer person may feel that they have always been queer even if they only recently came out, because their experiences and internalized ideas have shaped their understanding of themselves.
Queer temporality reconceptualizes personal development, narrative structure, and selfhood by embracing nonlinear concepts of time and identity construction. By rejecting traditional models of progress and growth, queer individuals and communities can create new possibilities for development and expression.