Nikki Sullivan

Bio: Nikki Sullivan is an academic researcher. The author has contributed to research in topics: Art & Performativity. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 716 citations.

A Critical Introduction to Queer Theory

Abstract: Contents Introduction 1 The Social Construction of Same-Sex Desire: Sin, Crime, Sickness 2 Assimilation or Liberation, Sexuality or Gender? 3 Queer: A Question of Being, or A Question of Doing? 4 Queer Race 5 Performance, Performativity, Parody and Politics 6 Transsexual Empires and Transgender Warriors 7 Queering 'Straight' Sex 8 Community and Its Discontents 9 Sadomasochism as Resistance? 10 Fetishism(s) and Political Perversion 11 Queering Popular Culture Bibliography.

Bi-focals, beards and butches: queering history in museums

Abstract: Abstract Historically, museums have catered to and represented some individuals, groups and histories to the exclusion and detriment of others. In his critique of this tendency Chris Taylor conceives museums ‘as instruments that intentionally shape cultural norms and values based on the dominant culture for society’. Like Taylor, many of those who are concerned by the exclusion of marginalised groups and histories advocate social inclusion as an ideal and a museological practice. Consequently, the last decade or so has seen the emergence of a number of temporary lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer plus (LGBTQ+) history exhibitions. At the same time, the active collecting of (what are perceived as) LGBTQ + objects in order to tell LGTBQ + histories has found its way onto the agenda of a growing number of museums. As we have argued in detail elsewhere, while such responses to past exclusions (and the material effects they produce) are not without value, they nevertheless all-too-often unintentionally reproduce the same logic that shaped exclusionary museological practices. In this article, we will elaborate what we see as the problematic epistemological underpinnings of social inclusion through the exploration of four assumptions that perpetuate heteronormative museological practice.

The intimate insider: negotiating the ethics of friendship when doing insider research:

Abstract: Favoured by ethnographers with some degree of closeness to the culture they wish to examine, the cultural participant as insider researcher has become relatively commonplace across the humanities. A large body of methodological literature now exists on this, highlighting the advantages and some of the dilemmas of conducting insider research. This literature is not exhaustive, as there remain elements of insider research still underdeveloped, such as how one goes about negotiating previously established friendships and intimate relationships in this context. Indeed, what are the benefits and dilemmas engendered by such negotiations? Drawing on existing scholarly accounts of field-based friendship and the author’s experiences of researching queer culture as an insider, this article addresses these questions in relation to the author’s field of inquiry and to social research paradigms more broadly. Subsequently, it argues that while being intimately inside one’s field does offer significant advantages, it al...

Identity Development Theories in Student Affairs: Origins, Current Status, and New Approaches

Abstract: Enhancing the development of students has long been a primary role of student affairs practitioners. Identity development theories help practitioners to understand how students go about discovering their “abilities, aptitude and objectives” while assisting them to achieve their “maximum effectiveness” (American Council on Education, 1937, p. 69). The tasks involved in discovering abilities, goals, and effectiveness are part of creating a sense of identity that allows the student to enter adult life. Identity is shaped by how one organizes experiences within the environment (context) that revolves around oneself (Erikson, 1959/1994). Across academic disciplines, the view of how individuals organize experiences takes on varying definitions. Within the student affairs literature, identity is commonly understood as one’s personally held beliefs about the self in relation to social groups (e.g., race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation) and the ways one expresses that relationship. Identity is also commonly understood to be socially constructed; that is, one’s sense of self and beliefs about one’s own social group as well others are constructed through interactions with the broader social context in which dominant values dictate norms and expectations (see Gergen, 1991; McEwen, 2003). Examples of these broader social contexts include both institutions such as education and work, as well as systems of power and inequality such as race, social class, and gender (Anderson & Collins, 2007). Social construction of identity occurs in different contexts on campus such as in how student organizations are created and which students are drawn to them, or in the social identities among those in leadership positions and those not, as well as in issues of institutional fit within access and retention. One of the components of identity development that arises quickly on most campuses is the process of students learning how to balance their needs with those of others (Kegan, 1982, 1994; Kroger, 2004). In working to create community and mutual respect on campus, student affairs professionals help students to understand this balance between self and others as well as expose students to the varied nature of what is encompassed in the “other.” A common program used to illustrate this process revolves around diversity issues. These programs often focus on exposure to other social groups and an understanding of how history supports society’s view of these groups. This influence of the other contributes to the social construction of identity; in other words, the context and interactions with others—including other people, societal norms, and/or expectations that evolve from culture—influence how one constructs one’s identity (Jones, 1997; McEwen, 2003; Torres, 2003; Weber, 1998). In addition, several researchers embrace a developmental approach to describe the shift that occurs when students

The tyranny of gendered spaces – reflections from beyond the gender dichotomy

Abstract: This article argues critically that the consequences of a binary system of gender norms is experienced as a kind of gender tyranny both for those who transgress gender in their daily lives, but also for those whose lives are lived within such constraints. Feminist geographers and urban theorists have argued that space is gendered and that gendering has profound consequences for women. This article extends this analysis and shows how rigid categorizations of gender fail to include the intersexed and transgendered populations, a small and highly marginalized segment of the wider population. This article uses autoethnographic methods to illustrate the ways that those who transgress gender norms experience a tyranny of gender that shapes nearly every aspect of their public and private lives. The nature of these consequences is explored using citations from the transgender and queer literature as well as the lived experience of this tyranny by the author in a continuum of public to private spaces, including: p...

Gendered harassment in secondary schools: understanding teachers’ (non) interventions

Abstract: This article provides an analysis of teachers’ perceptions of and responses to gendered harassment in Canadian secondary schools based on in‐depth interviews with six teachers in one urban school district. Gendered harassment includes any behaviour that polices and reinforces traditional heterosexual gender norms such as (hetero)sexual harassment, homophobic harassment, and harassment for gender non‐conformity. This study shows that educators experience a combination of external and internal influences that act as either barriers or motivators for intervention. Some of the external barriers include: lack of institutional support from administrators; lack of formal education on the issue; inconsistent response from colleagues; fear of parent backlash; and negative community response. By gaining a better understanding of the complex factors that shape how teachers view and respond to gendered harassment, we can work towards more effective solutions to reduce these behaviours in schools.

Nursing's silence on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues: the need for emancipatory efforts.

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to selectively review the nursing literature for publications related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender health, using (1) a key word search of CINAHL, the database of nursing and allied health publications; (2) from the top-10 nursing journals by 5-year impact factor from 2005 to 2009, counting articles about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues; and (3) content analysis of the articles found in those journals. Only 0.16% of articles focused on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender health (8 of nearly 5000 articles) and were biased toward authors outside of the United States. We discuss the impact of this silence.