Malaysian queer literature

This article examines Malaysian queer literature (MQL) in terms of what it is, its characteristic elements, and how the way it is written responds to the differential treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning (LGBTQ) people in Malaysia. The article uses the sec...

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Main Author: Collin Jerome
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2022
Online Access:http://journalarticle.ukm.my/20557/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/20557/1/55208-191941-2-PB.pdf
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author Collin Jerome,
author_facet Collin Jerome,
author_sort Collin Jerome,
building UKM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description This article examines Malaysian queer literature (MQL) in terms of what it is, its characteristic elements, and how the way it is written responds to the differential treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning (LGBTQ) people in Malaysia. The article uses the secondary data analysis method to examine existing resources on MQL to ascertain what it is, its origin, and evolution. The article then applies the analytical method developed by Blackburn, Clark, and Nemeth to examine the elements of MQL in Malaysia’s anthologies of queer literature, namely, Body 2 Body - A Malaysian Queer Anthology (2009) and Mata Hati Kita/The Eyes of Our Hearts (2016). The analysis reveals that MQL is a new literary genre in the Malaysian literary scene and is produced for a number of reasons including to open up avenues of discussion about queer that remains subject to condemnation by the mainstream local society. Two characteristic elements of MQL are identified, namely, the multiple conceptions of sexual and gender identities, and the disruption of sexual and gender norms. The analysis also reveals that MQL is written with these elements in mind as a way to respond to the discriminatory treatment of LGBTQ people in the country. The article has implications for current efforts that seek to use MQL not only to provide readers with the diverse ways of being in the world but also to rethink existing discourses that continue to condemn LGBTQ people on the basis of gender and sexual diversity.
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spelling oai:generic.eprints.org:205572022-11-27T16:58:04Z http://journalarticle.ukm.my/20557/ Malaysian queer literature Collin Jerome, This article examines Malaysian queer literature (MQL) in terms of what it is, its characteristic elements, and how the way it is written responds to the differential treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning (LGBTQ) people in Malaysia. The article uses the secondary data analysis method to examine existing resources on MQL to ascertain what it is, its origin, and evolution. The article then applies the analytical method developed by Blackburn, Clark, and Nemeth to examine the elements of MQL in Malaysia’s anthologies of queer literature, namely, Body 2 Body - A Malaysian Queer Anthology (2009) and Mata Hati Kita/The Eyes of Our Hearts (2016). The analysis reveals that MQL is a new literary genre in the Malaysian literary scene and is produced for a number of reasons including to open up avenues of discussion about queer that remains subject to condemnation by the mainstream local society. Two characteristic elements of MQL are identified, namely, the multiple conceptions of sexual and gender identities, and the disruption of sexual and gender norms. The analysis also reveals that MQL is written with these elements in mind as a way to respond to the discriminatory treatment of LGBTQ people in the country. The article has implications for current efforts that seek to use MQL not only to provide readers with the diverse ways of being in the world but also to rethink existing discourses that continue to condemn LGBTQ people on the basis of gender and sexual diversity. Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2022-08 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://journalarticle.ukm.my/20557/1/55208-191941-2-PB.pdf Collin Jerome, (2022) Malaysian queer literature. GEMA ; Online Journal of Language Studies, 22 (3). pp. 139-154. ISSN 1675-8021 https://ejournal.ukm.my/gema/issue/view/1539
spellingShingle Collin Jerome,
Malaysian queer literature
title Malaysian queer literature
title_full Malaysian queer literature
title_fullStr Malaysian queer literature
title_full_unstemmed Malaysian queer literature
title_short Malaysian queer literature
title_sort malaysian queer literature
url http://journalarticle.ukm.my/20557/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/20557/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/20557/1/55208-191941-2-PB.pdf