1 / 8

Dr. Andrew Yip Reader in Sociology School of Social Sciences Nottingham Trent University

Religion, Sexuality and Politics: Reflections on the Lived Experiences of Non-heterosexual Christians and Muslims. Dr. Andrew Yip Reader in Sociology School of Social Sciences Nottingham Trent University Burton Street Nottingham NG1 4BU a.yip@ntu.ac.uk. Introduction. Research projects:

ghazi
Télécharger la présentation

Dr. Andrew Yip Reader in Sociology School of Social Sciences Nottingham Trent University

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Religion, Sexuality and Politics: Reflections on the Lived Experiences of Non-heterosexual Christians and Muslims Dr. Andrew Yip Reader in Sociology School of Social Sciences Nottingham Trent University Burton Street Nottingham NG1 4BU a.yip@ntu.ac.uk 'Negotiating Religious Identity' Seminar Series, Lancaster University, 24 Jan 2007

  2. Introduction • Research projects: - Gay Male Christian Partnerships - National Survey of LGB Christians - A Minority within a Minority: LGB Muslims

  3. Why Bother with Religion? • LGB identity free from two primary heterosexist institutions - the family; religion • LGB identity - essentially secular • Tolerance of homosexuality (i) Inter-religious variation; (ii) Intra-religious variation; (iii) Discrepancy between official line and treatment at grassroots level

  4. Sexuality is Spiritual, Spirituality is Sexual • Sexuality and spirituality flip sides of each other • Exploration of fundamentals of spirituality and sexuality inseparable • ‘Coming out to oneself’ inextricably linked to ‘coming out to God’ • ‘Ontogeneric argument’ – sexuality created, sustained, blessed by God • Validates and authenticates their humanity • Identity integration and personal integrity

  5. Politics of Spirituality/Sexuality • Ontogeneric argument offers ontological anchor • Also a political strategy – challenges heteronormative power structures and social practices • Politics – recognition of difference; emancipation from oppression; justice-seeking for broader social inclusion • Characterised by religious individualism, prioritising authority of the self • ‘Spirituality of justice’ underpinned by Christ’s example • Personally, socially and politically expressive and transformative

  6. The ‘Doing’ of the Politics of Spirituality/Sexuality • Various forms of engagement with institutional religion - ‘I’m leaving the Church to keep my faith’ - Staying to effect positive change: claiming and transformation of space – physical, psychological and theological - Queering of religious texts • Alignment of counter religious discourse with secular discourse of human rights and citizenship • Convergence of politics of spirituality/sexuality with politics of sexual/intimate citizenship • Theological, cultural, social, and political capital

  7. Complexity of the Politics of Spirituality/Sexuality • A form of identity politics with sexuality as defining principle or ‘master status’ • Often neglects interplay between sexual identity and other identities (e.g. cultural, ethnic) • LGB Muslims – sexual, ethnic, and religious minority • Salience of Islamophobia and racism, alongside homophobia • Challenges ‘individualisation’ and ‘de-traditionalisation’ theses that underpin LGB identity development

  8. References • Yip, A. K. T. (2007) Legal, Cultural, and Sexual Citizenship: The Case of Lesbian and Bisexual Muslim Women. Paper presented at the 8th Mediterranean Social & Political Research Meeting, Florence/Montecatini Terme, 21-25 March. • Yip, A. K. T. (2005) ‘Religion and the politics of spirituality/sexuality: Reflections on researching British lesbian, gay, and bisexual Christians and Muslims’ Fieldwork in Religion 1, 3: 271-289. • Yip, A. K. T. (2005) ‘Queering religious texts: An exploration of British non-heterosexual Christians’ and Muslims’ strategy of constructing sexuality-affirming hermeneutics’, Sociology 39, 1: 47-65. • Yip, A. K. T. (2004) ‘Negotiating space with family and kin in identity construction: The narratives of British non-heterosexual Muslims’, Sociological Review 52, 3: 336-350. • Yip, A. K. T. (2004) ‘Embracing Allah and Sexuality?: South Asian Non-heterosexual Muslims in Britain’, in: P. Kumar & K. Jacobsen (eds.) South Asians in the Diaspora: Histories and Religious Traditions. Leiden: EJ Brill. • Yip, A. K. T. & Keenan, M. (2004) ‘By name united, by sex divided: A brief analysis of the current crisis facing the Anglican Communion’, Sociological Research Online 9, 1. http://www.socresonline.org.uk/9/1/yip.html • Yip, A. K. T. (2003) ‘Spirituality and sexuality: The religious beliefs of non-heterosexual Christians in Great Britain’, Theology and Sexuality 9, 2: 137-154. • Yip, A. K. T. (2002) ‘The persistence of faith among non-heterosexual Christians: Evidence for the neosecularisation thesis of religious transformation’ Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 41, 2: 199-212.

More Related