Transgressing the father figure: performing queer theology as an act of liberation

This chapter examines the intersection of power, ritual, and the sacred through the lens of performing drag as a tool to subvert dominant notions of theological discourse. Grounded in Cheng’s assertion that queer theology is transgressive (Radical Love) and Althaus-Reid’s Indecent Theology, the foun...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Dean, Allyson S. (Author) ; Archer, Whitney J. (Author)
Format: Electronic/Print Article
Language:English
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Published: Taylor & Francis [2017]
In: Theology & sexuality
Year: 2017, Volume: 23, Issue: 1/2, Pages: 67-92
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Catholic church / Catholic upbringing / Church office / Ritual / The Holy / Drag king / Queer theology
IxTheo Classification:AG Religious life; material religion
KDB Roman Catholic Church
NBE Anthropology
RB Church office; congregation
Further subjects:B Drag
B Performativity
B Catholicism
B Performance
B drag kings
Online Access: Volltext (doi)
Parallel Edition:Electronic
Description
Summary:This chapter examines the intersection of power, ritual, and the sacred through the lens of performing drag as a tool to subvert dominant notions of theological discourse. Grounded in Cheng’s assertion that queer theology is transgressive (Radical Love) and Althaus-Reid’s Indecent Theology, the foundational text which introduces the concept of theology as destabilizing and grounded in subversion, particularly in the realm of sexuality, we critique the forces of power operating within Catholicism. We ask: Whose bodies are allowed to play a powerful role in Catholicism? How has ritual performance perpetuated the colonization of the mind/spirit and how can it be used to undo that same colonization? In discussing a public drag performance using George Michael’s “Father Figure,” we suggest the possibility of liberation that exists in bringing theology into queer spaces, extending theology beyond the realm of religious institutions or the academy.
ISSN:1355-8358
Contains:Enthalten in: Theology & sexuality
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/13558358.2017.1341209