TY - JOUR
T1 - Un/gendering Social Selves
T2 - How Nonbinary People Navigate and Experience a Binarily Gendered World
AU - Barbee, Harry
AU - Schrock, Douglas
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Eastern Sociological Society
PY - 2019/9/1
Y1 - 2019/9/1
N2 - Based on in-depth interviews, we explore how people who do not identify exclusively or consistently as either women or men (i.e., nonbinary people) navigate a culture that bifurcates people into women or men. Using an interactionist approach, we first analyze how interviewees employ discourse (e.g., names, identity labels, and pronouns) and the body (e.g., expressions, decoration, and transformation) to present themselves as nonbinary, which we conceptualize as ungendering social selves. Second, we examine the emotional benefits (e.g., authenticity, pride, liberation) and burdens (e.g., fear, rejection, exhaustion) of ungendering. Third, we uncover the emotional, social, and structural conditions under which our nonbinary-identified participants sometimes present themselves as binarily gendered, which we conceptualize as gendering social selves. We conclude with discussing empirical and theoretical contributions.
AB - Based on in-depth interviews, we explore how people who do not identify exclusively or consistently as either women or men (i.e., nonbinary people) navigate a culture that bifurcates people into women or men. Using an interactionist approach, we first analyze how interviewees employ discourse (e.g., names, identity labels, and pronouns) and the body (e.g., expressions, decoration, and transformation) to present themselves as nonbinary, which we conceptualize as ungendering social selves. Second, we examine the emotional benefits (e.g., authenticity, pride, liberation) and burdens (e.g., fear, rejection, exhaustion) of ungendering. Third, we uncover the emotional, social, and structural conditions under which our nonbinary-identified participants sometimes present themselves as binarily gendered, which we conceptualize as gendering social selves. We conclude with discussing empirical and theoretical contributions.
KW - discourse
KW - embodiment
KW - emotion
KW - gender
KW - identity
KW - nonbinary
KW - transgender
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U2 - 10.1111/socf.12517
DO - 10.1111/socf.12517
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85069939528
SN - 0884-8971
VL - 34
SP - 572
EP - 593
JO - Sociological Forum
JF - Sociological Forum
IS - 3
ER -