University of London, Birkbeck College

Graduate Student, The Psychosocial Studies Department

Thesis Title: The relation between the "National" and the "Homosexual" during "times of transformation". Theoretical study with cases and examples from Poland.

About

BOOK IN BRIEF:
"De-Centring Western Sexualities critically assesses the current state of knowledge about sexualities outside the framings of 'The West', by focusing on gender and sexuality within the context of Central and Eastern Europe. Providing rich case studies drawn from a range of "post-communist" countries, this interdisciplinary volume brings together the latest research on the formation of sexualities in Central and Eastern Europe, alongside analyses of the sexual and national identity politics of the region. Engaged with current debates within queer studies surrounding temporality and knowledge production, and inspired by post-colonial critique, the book problematises the western hegemony that often characterises sexuality studies, and presents local theoretical insights better attuned to their geo-temporal realities. As such, it offers a cultural and social re-evaluation of everyday life experiences, and will be of interest to sociologists, queer studies scholars, geographers and anthropologists."

i am researching queer theory, social movements, national and sexual identities, socio-cultural conditioning of knowledge production, lgbt history, and polish post-communist transformation.


PHD BRIEF:
The research focuses on scrutinising reciprocal processes occurring between the figures of “Homosexual”, and the “National” in the course of their re-formation in Poland during the last decade. It seeks to understand how the Polish “post-communist transition” context shapes understandings of homosexuality and sexual politics, and how new and distinct identities (i.e. lesbian and gay) and communities are formed in specific locations. It tries to understand the impact of the “Homosexual” on the ongoing debates about Polish national identity in the new (liberal democratic and capitalist) reality.

My three main research questions are:

1. Are the “National” and the “Homosexual” related in prevailing discourses stemming from (and being about) communitarianism and individualism (liberalism) as value systems? And if so, how?

2. What is the connection between the “National” and the “Homosexual”, and how is it established and maintained in the process of “Othering” (producing exclusions)?

3. How do the “National” and the “Homosexual” relate to each other in the discussion over the nature of “public space” and “(nation-)state”?

Contact Information