Signs of identity desire and defiance a semiotic analysis of queer subcultures in select documentaries and videos

Abstract

The Ph.D. thesis entitled Signs of Identity, Desire, and Defiance: A Semiotic Analysis of Queer Subcultures in Select Documentaries and Videos attempts to explore the nonverbal signs employed by queer people for the construction, expression, and assertion of their identities. The primary research tools are taken from Social Semiotics, Subcultural Studies and Queer Studies. The research project has particularly investigated three aspects of queer semiotics: (i) the role of hair and hairstyles in the lives of queer people, (ii) the possibilities which dressing and costumes provide for them, and (iii) the use of bodily postures, gestures and movements to express their gender and sexual choices. These issues are investigated with special reference to the six documentaries Paris Is Burning (1990), Daddy and the Muscle Academy (1991), Venus Boyz (2002), Purple Skies (2014), Dream Boat (2017), Dragtime (1997), and three You Tube videos Last of the NYC Leathermen (2012), Pups, Otters, and Large Furry Men: Thomas Morton on the Slanguage of Bears (2012), and The Rise of the Bears: Bear Culture (2014). In order to support the arguments, the research has also referred to some of the mainstream movies and show such as Brokeback Mountain (2005), Blue is the Warmest Colour (2013), Carol (2015), Call Me by Your Name (2017), and Rupaul s Drag Race: Season 1 (2009). From an introduction to the queer lifestyles and subcultures in the first chapter, the research moves to the analyses of queer hairstyles in the second one. newlineIn conclusion, the queer identities and subcultures are a matter of signs, both verbal and nonverbal. In this research, the nonverbal signs have been taken up to understand the queer behaviour and lifestyle. It has been concluded that the queer phenomenon, from the very beginning to the present, has been engaged in producing, changing, losing, and re-discovering or reformulating diverse signs, symbols and codes. newline newline