This study examines how homonationalism, femonationalism, and
reactionary feminisms operate within contemporary relations of power,
particularly through the strategic use of political, legal, and social discourses.
The research investigates how claims related to the protection of women,
sexual minorities, traditional values, and individual rights can be incorporated
into exclusionary and racialized agendas.
Using a qualitative approach, the study develops a thematic analysis
based on a narrative bibliographic review, drawing primarily on the theoretical
contributions of Jasbir Puar, Sara Farris, and Sophie Lewis. These perspectives
make it possible to analyze how apparently emancipatory or protective
discourses may also participate in the production of hierarchies and the
definition of certain groups as legitimate subjects of protection while portraying
others as threats.
The analysis identifies a recurring logic based on the construction of an
“other” as an enemy or threat. Binary narratives—such as oppressor versus
victim, civilized versus uncivilized, or protected versus dangerous—can simplify
complex social relations and contribute to the normalization of particular
identities and forms of belonging.
The study argues that law and public discourse can function as
technologies of power in these processes. Rather than operating only through
explicit forms of exclusion, power can also act through the selective recognition
of rights, the institutionalization of particular identities, and the construction of
narratives that define who deserves protection, recognition, or inclusion.
The findings therefore contribute to a critical understanding of
contemporary political and legal disputes involving gender, sexuality, race, and
identity. They highlight the importance of examining not only the explicit content
of rights-based claims, but also the power relations and exclusions that may be
produced through their institutional and discursive deployment.
-Research by Grazielly Alessandra Baggenstoss