Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Zentrum für transdisziplinäre Geschlechterstudien

SE 53851 (SoSe 2015): Queere Rassifizierungen - Intersektionen von Gender, Sexualität und
antimuslimischem Rassismus
Dozentin: Agnes Böhmelt, Referentin: Alexandra Dimitriou, 06.07.2015

Handout for Texts: Monster, Terrorist, Fag: The War on Terrorism and the Production of Docile
Patriots, by Jasbir K. Puar and Amit S. Rai (2002, Duke University Press), J.Puar interview on the
MRBB newsletter (2010)

The Monster and the Terrorist

Monster in US mainstream media after 9/11 attacks: based on the figure of O. bin Laden

Foucault definition of monster

One of three elements linked tot he formation of the ‘abnormals’ (monster, individual to be
corrected, onanist)

Counterterrorism:
- racial, civilizational knowledge
- academic discipline tied to the exercise of state power
- psyche: main core of investigation (terrorists as individuals with damaged sense of self, self
destructing, inconsistent mothering, hostility towards parents)

Jerrold Post (‘terrorism expert’): 2 types of pathological personalities

1. anarchic ideologue (fights ‘against the society of parents’)
2. nationalist-secessionist (loyalty to authority/parents - rebellion against external enemies)

 these models ‘reduce complex social, historical, political dynamics to various psychic causes
rooted in childhood family dynamics’

Heteronormativity & Patriotism

- Contradictory discourses of the USA as feminist, gay friendly, progressed, but depicting
‘monstrous terrorists’ as emasculated, sodomised, hence humiliated.
- LGBT organisations objected to homophobic expressions such as “Hijack This Fags”, but not to
the racist war.

Homonationalism

- racist, privileged queers

- but also image of the idealised homosexual in consumer & juridical spaces (impact on less
privileged subjectivities)
- depending on the context, one “other” can look at different subjectivities as “others”
- Bush’s dinner parties with multiple cultures/religions vs. FBI agents keeping mosques under
surveillance

Discussion:
- IMF video “It Gets Better” with ‘good gay’ examples
- Ahmadinejad being ‘sodomised’ at gay Pride SF 2011, ‘wedding’ performance between
Ahmadinejad (then President of Iran) & Assad (President of Syria)