Week 12 Reading - Aimee Carrillo Rowe - Loving Transgressions Queer of Color Bodies

Introduction

  • Title: Loving Transgressions: Queer of Color Bodies, Affective Ties, Transformative Community

  • Authors: Aimee Carrillo Rowe and Francesca T. Royster

  • Affiliations:

    • Aimee Carrillo Rowe: Communication Studies, California State University, Northridge, CA

    • Francesca T. Royster: Department of English, DePaul University, Chicago, IL

  • Abstract Overview:

    • Focuses on queer women of color's contributions to affect theory.

    • Critiques the sidelining of women of color in affect studies despite their rich theoretical contributions.

    • The importance of U.S. Third World feminist concepts in understanding affect is emphasized.

    • Invites interdisciplinary discourse linking affect theory with lived experiences of queer women of color.

Key Concepts

  • Affective Turn:

    • Encourages examination of emotions in cultural and political contexts.

    • Calls for a broader understanding of emotion beyond individual experiences.

  • Critical Knowledge Production:

    • Solipsism in academia neglects minority voices.

    • The challenge in acknowledging contributions from queer women of color.

  • Political and Affective Acts:

    • Emotional responses can mobilize social action.

    • Examples include community organizing and art forms like music and poetry.

Context of U.S. Settler Colonial Culture

  • Burden of Affect: Queer women of color are often seen as excessively emotional.

    • Sara Ahmed's Argument: Happiness aligns with societal expectations, making others (particularly marginalized individuals) seen as 'killjoys.'

  • Sandra Bland Case:

    • Case exemplifies the disempowerment linked to excessive emotional portrayals.

    • Emotional narratives used by state violence narratives that frame victims as guilty.

    • Activism sparked by Bland's death highlights the intersection of gender, race, and police brutality.

Connecting Emotions to Activism

  • Productive Emotional Responses:

    • Emotions such as grief, outrage, and sadness serve as tools for activism.

    • Example: Janelle Monae's performance of "Hell You Talmbout" memorializes victims and integrates art with activism.

  • Cvetkovich on Depression: Raises questions about the political implications of depression and emotional despair in a political context.

    • Recognizes anger and negative emotions as legitimate responses to injustice.

Theoretical Foundations and Historical Contexts

  • Affect in Queer Theory:

    • Draws from Spinoza, Bergson, Deleuze, and others; focuses on bodily intensities—joy, pain, love, anger, and desire.

  • Third World Feminisms:

    • Contributions from women of color are crucial for understanding emotional experiences.

    • Promotes a complex view of affect dealing with anger, shame, and erotic responses influenced by colonization.

Emotional Tools for Activism

  • Audre Lorde's Work:

    • Highlights anger as a resource for social change and challenges the move towards 'good feelings'.

    • Emphasizes the significance of acknowledging anger as a powerful emotion for resistance.

  • Impact of Language:

    • Language has transformative power in shaping identities and facilitating social change.

    • Lorde’s metaphor of anger as a "well-stocked arsenal" highlights its potential for progress.

Contributors and Perspectives

  • Claudia Garcia-Rojas: Critiques the erasure of queer women's issues from white affect studies.

  • Lourdes Torres: Explores linguistic differences and their emotional impacts within Latina lesbian organizing.

  • Ann Russo: Calls for accountability and emotional vulnerability in conversations about race and activism.

  • Francesca T. Royster: Investigates black queer relations in country music and the complexities behind fandom experiences

Conclusion and Call to Action

  • Facing the Tensions:

    • The collection urges readers to embrace complex emotional landscapes constructed through the histories of trauma and the desire for new futures.

  • Engagement with Queer Xicana artist Adelina Anthony: Offers hope through collective acknowledgment of affective experiences through performance and art.

  • Overall Aim: To provoke rethinking about emotion as both a lived experience and a political engagement tool, unlocking new potential for collective futures.