Thinking self: Queering theory towards a liberatory practice an inquiry towards a greater understanding of the categories of identity & difference (sex, gender, desire, race and class)

Date of Publication

2000

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Philosophy

Subject Categories

Social and Behavioral Sciences

College

College of Liberal Arts

Department/Unit

Philosophy

Thesis Adviser

Elenita Garcia

Defense Panel Chair

Rolando Gripaldo

Defense Panel Member

Claro Ceniza
Brian Douglas Elwood

Abstract/Summary

This paper is a journey into the self. Through narrative philosophy and deconstruction, it is aimed that the many categories of the self, namely, sex, gender, desire, race and class find the convergence in one unified self .Emphasis is made on finding the meaning of certain concept like woman, lesbian, ethnicity and class . The author discusses these categories at length and intersperses theories with lived experiences. As a feminist and as a lesbian activist, the writer ponders on identity theory and politics and how these might be useful in ending oppression and achieving liberation.The three important questions that are asked all relate to the Socratic dictum: Who am I? is the basic tenet that seeks to know one's self. This leads to the next concern, What is the condition of the I (or the Self)? In answering this, the writer speaks and narrates her life experiences as a 'self' and its many categories. Finally, in looking at her future, the author is concerned about the prospects of personal happiness, as well as justice.The paper admittedly, raises more questions than answers. In theorizing the self, it becomes inevitable that even theory itself is put into doubt, hence, queering theory. Thinking self after all, means that the self is a thinking entity, as it is also the object of the activity. This paper is personal in the sense that the insights herein are the author's own narrative, and hence ought not to be applied to other persons. But it is also academic in the sense that the self is a valid philosophical concern. It is also political for it challenges society's notions on lesbian and gay lives.

Abstract Format

html

Language

English

Format

Print

Accession Number

TG03008

Shelf Location

Archives, The Learning Commons, 12F Henry Sy Sr. Hall

Physical Description

111 leaves

Keywords

Self (Philosophy); Personality (Theory of knowledge); Identity

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS