Shame in the Cybernetic Fold

• Affect Theory and Homophobia by John R. Crary, 5/27/98
  • Tell me more by Don Nathanson, 5/28/98
    
    

First, I want to say thanks to Don and to the others who responded to my first post on Affect Theory and Homophobia. I do feel a bit out of place here coming from a background in the humanities rather than psychology, but I hope my post was helpful in at least indicating that affect theory is affecting (if you'll excuse the pun) disciplines outside the immendiate scope of this Behavior Online forum.

In response to Don's questions, I should note that I have only read sections of Shame and Pride and these portions were not offensive in the least in the way that Sedgwick and Frank indicate, which is why I was suspicious of their curt vilification. (I particularly enjoyed the chapter on Buddy Hackett and the role of humor in affect management.) The fact that Sedgwick's and Frank's critique appears in a footnote does suggest that the offending passages are marginal and of only minor importance.

My statement on the "therapeutic responsiveness" of a text was poorly formulated and, in hindsight, I realize I should have expressed it differently or omitted it altogether; what I meant was: how accessible is your book to gay and lesbian readers? (It seems very accessible to me -- despite Sedgwick, whose footnote is, as Jim Duffy says, rather tendentious. Unfortunately, this is the type of material I have to read in my profession.)

After reading Jim Duffy's very detailed and helpful post, I am inclined to disagree with Sedgwick and Frank that the selected passages are indicative of a heterosexist presentation of the theory. As Duffy points out, their use of the selections is both exceedingly unfaithful to the original context and highly polemical. (This last point -- the polemical nature -- is due, I imagine, to the fact that the article appeared in a journal devoted to literary theory, which tends to be a very moralizing discipline. Sedgwick and Frank denounce such moralizing in their article and yet cannot seem to escape it.)

Thanks,
John

No Replies