van Klinken, AS orcid.org/0000-0003-2011-5537 (2015) Queer Love in a “Christian Nation”: Zambian Gay Men Negotiating Sexual and Religious Identities. Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 83 (4). pp. 947-964. ISSN 0002-7189
Abstract
On the basis of a study of a group of Zambian men identifying both as gay and as Christian, this article explores the negotiation of sexual and religious identity and critically addresses the “surprise” some scholars have expressed about the general religiosity of LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex) people in Africa. The study demonstrates that participants are not just victims subjected to homophobic religious and political discourses but have agency: resisting discourses of demonization, they humanize themselves by making claims towards the universal category of love—both their own inclination to loving relationships and their share in God’s love. Hence they claim space for themselves as full citizens of Zambia as a Christian nation. This article particularly highlights how some aspects of Pentecostalism appear to contribute to “queer empowerment”, and argues that the religiosity of African LGBTIs critically interrogates Euro-American secular models of LGBTI liberation.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press, on behalf of the American Academy of Religion. All rights reserved. This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in Journal of the American Academy of Religion following peer review. The version of record van Klinken, AS (2015) Queer Love in a “Christian Nation”: Zambian Gay Men Negotiating Sexual and Religious Identities. Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 83 (4). 947 - 964 is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jaarel/lfv073 |
Keywords: | Sexuality; homosexuality; religion; Christianity; Pentecostalism; identity; Zambia; gay |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science (Leeds) > Theology and Religious Studies (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number American Academy of Religion NOT GIVEN |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 30 Apr 2015 08:38 |
Last Modified: | 11 Feb 2022 16:23 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jaarel/lfv073 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Oxford University Press |
Identification Number: | 10.1093/jaarel/lfv073 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:85530 |