Type
Text
Type
Dissertation
Advisor
Craig, Megan | Casey, Edward | Diedrich, Lisa | Al-Saji, Alia.
Date
2013-12-01
Keywords
Philosophy | Bergson, Feminism, LGBT, LGBTQ, Queer, Trans
Department
Department of Philosophy.
Language
en_US
Source
This work is sponsored by the Stony Brook University Graduate School in compliance with the requirements for completion of degree.
Identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/11401/76621
Publisher
The Graduate School, Stony Brook University: Stony Brook, NY.
Format
application/pdf
Abstract
The central claim of this dissertation is that the ability to feel comfortable, both in terms of your identity and in your fluid movement through the world, is the result of what I call affirmative feedback loops. When your environment affirms and reflects your identity back to you, you become comfortable with yourself and in that environment. This affirmation can be as direct as someone explicitly affirming you (for example, when you come out) or it can be as subtle and quotidian as being able to display photos of loved ones in your workspace. I argue that caring for other people requires becoming attuned to affirmative feedback loops, and learning how they are formed and repaired. Being affirmed is not a luxury, or a dispensable pat on the back, it is the fundamental process through which we form and change our identities, and it is an essential core of caring for others. | 111 pages
Recommended Citation
Johnston, Timothy Ross, "Creating Safe Spaces: Bergson, Affirmation, and the Constitution of LGBTQ Identity" (2013). Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions). 2511.
https://commons.library.stonybrook.edu/stony-brook-theses-and-dissertations-collection/2511