Articulating Transgender Subjectivity: How Discursive Formations Perpetuate Regimes of Power

Authors

  • Erica Ciszek The University of Texas at Austin
  • Nathian Shae Rodriguez San Diego State University

Keywords:

articulation theory, transgender, campaigns, political communication

Abstract

In this article, we bring new insights and add to existing conversations both about the discursive contestations around transgender subjects and about the theory of articulation. We argue that transgender subjectivity has become a part of a larger hegemonic struggle to define the purpose and modalities of contemporary politics and has become a key moment in political power struggles between hegemonic projects. We provide a detailed and closely analyzed example of how articulation allows us to parse apart the linkages through which signifiers are given meanings. We display how different political actors articulate the same signifier within diverging discourses, showing how gender identities are caught up within relations of power that seek to exclude and marginalize.

Author Biographies

Erica Ciszek, The University of Texas at Austin

Erica Ciszek, PhD Assistant Professor Stan Richards School of Advertising & Public Relations The University of Texas at Austin eciszek@utexas.edu(832) 244-7828

Nathian Shae Rodriguez, San Diego State University

Nathian Shae Rodriguez, Ph.D.Assistant Professor of Digital Media StudiesSchool of Journalism & Media StudiesCollege of Professional Studies and Fine Arts San Diego State University5500 Campanile DriveSan Diego, CA 92182-4561

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Published

2020-09-29

Issue

Vol. 14 (2020)

Section

Articles

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