The dynamics of identity politics frequently have
been studied from the perspective of 'outsider' groups,
those outside the bounds of the imagined community. But
how does this dynamic play out in the construction of
the 'national imaginary'? How do nations themselves
respond to identity politics, especially the politics of
sexuality and sexual orientation? "A Nation by Rights"
will help reformulate how we use rights - to what end
and through what means.It is clear that same-sex acts
and identities have been deployed in the construction of
national cultures, especially in times of crisis. It is
also evident that identity politics in the future will
become increasingly globalized and articulated to rights
discourse. Through five diverse case studies, Carl F.
Stychin examines how sexuality and sexual orientation
intersect with gender, race, ethnicity, and religion in
the ongoing formation of national identity, all within
an era of increasing economic, political, and cultural
globalization.Case one: The controversy over the right
of lesbians and gays to march in Boston's St. Patrick's
Day parade, which exemplifies a fundamental rights
dispute, the place of identity politics in American
life, the role of rights discourse in shaping an
American national identity, and the construction of
identities within public space. Case two: South Africa,
to examine how rights discourse can figure when
previously divided groups attempt to come together and
when the language of rights is central to the formation
of a national identity. Case three: Quebec, to
illustrate how sexual identities have been employed to
help consolidate national identities where nation and
nation-state fail to meet.Case four: The 'supranational'
identity being imagined in the European Union, where
rights discourse may serve as a bond of commonality (and
a source of division) in the future. Case five:
Australia's use of the language of international human
rights, which has been successfully deployed in the
struggle to decriminalize same-sex sexual acts. Stychin
conveys the complexity and range of national responses
to sexual identities and identity politics to achieve a
deeper understanding of the meaning, capabilities, and
limitations of rights discourse more generally. Author
note: Carl F. Stychin, currently Senior Lecturer in Law,
Keele University, is the author of "Law's Desire:
Sexuality and the Limits of Justice", and co-editor
(with Didi Herman) of "Legal Inversions: Lesbians, Gay
Men, and the Politics of the Law" (Temple, 1995).
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