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Title The social contruction of homophobia in Senegal
Full text https://dspace.library.uu.nl/handle/1874/422186
Date 2022
Author(s) von Siandje, Boris Bertolt
Contributor(s) Afd Strafrecht; RENFORCE / Regulering en handhaving; Siegel, Dina; Oude Breuil, Brenda; Kovera-Van Til, A.
Abstract Based on the study of Senegalese society, my research does not intend to undermine arguments about the homophobic character of African societies but rather attempts to give a more systematic and in-depth analysis of a complex reality. Contrary to other research that has been conducted to date on homophobia, I suggest that to understand the predominantly refractory nature of Senegalese society towards homosexuality, it is necessary to produce a long-term analysis. By long-term analysis I mean a study that considers the entanglements and dynamics of the past and the present. This approach should integrate the changes introduced by colonisation in the field of sexuality, postcolonial influences, issues related to North-South relations, and the social and economic transformations of African societies. Therefore, homophobia cannot be apprehended as an innate trait of African societies, but a socio-historical construction fuelled by the internal and external contradictions of societies in permanent mutation. This research employs a social constructionist approach, but also builds on theories on coloniality. A multiplicity of research methods ' a literature study, content analysis of newspaper articles, and open interviews, legal analysis' was used to analyse the underlying dynamics that are present in the mediated representations of homophobia in Senegalese society. One of the contributions of this thesis is to show that there is a close link between economic crisis, the recomposition of gender relations, and homophobia. Sexuality is not just a source of pleasure but a full component of the social, economic, and political organisation of Senegalese society where heterosexuality can be seen as a national project. Moreover, in this work I argue that it is possible to establish a link between French colonisation and homophobia in francophone postcolonial societies. Unlike in other African countries where the homophobic discourse is primarily a local production that benefited from foreign influences like Anglo-American Evangelism, in Senegal, the homophobic discourse was shaped by moral entrepreneurs who promote the demonisation of homosexuality and men who have sex with men, named Goor-jigeen. Today, homophobia has become, on the one hand, a medium through which politicians and spiritual leaders consolidate their old administrative alliances and political influence, established since the colonial period for the purpose of corruption and clientelism. On the other hand, it is a tool of resistance against globalisation and the international movement for the promotion of gay rights, named Gay International. Through this configuration, homosexuality can therefore be used as a scapegoat for the economic and social tensions that cross the country in a globalised world.
Subject(s) Afrika; Homofobie; Kolonialisme; Sociaal constructionisme; Kolonisatie; westen; Islam.; Africa; Homophobia; Coloniality; Social constructionism; Colonisation; West; Islam.
Language en
Publisher Utrecht University
Type of publication Dissertation
Format application/pdf
Rights info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess
Repository Utrecht - University of Utrecht
Added to C-A: 2024-03-06;10:14:01