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Article published In:
Gender, Sexuality & Linguistic Landscapes
Edited by Tommaso M. Milani
[Linguistic Landscape 4:3] 2018
► pp. 278–297

Tel Aviv as a space of affirmation versus transformation

Language, citizenship, and the politics of sexuality in Israel

 | University of Gothenburg | University of the Witwatersrand
 | Queen Mary University of London
 | Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
 | Tel Aviv University
In this article we investigate the spatial politics of sexuality in Israel by focusing on two different but related data sets: (1) the official video for Tel Aviv Pride 2013 produced by the Mizrahi Jewish music group Arisa; and (2) a protest against the Occupation of Palestine performed at Tel Aviv Pride in 2017. We analyze these examples with the help of a theoretical framework that offers a dynamic conceptualization of citizenship and its semiotic manifestations, drawing on Fraser’s (1995) distinction between affirmative and transformative strategies of social justice. In line with the remit of this special issue, we highlight the importance of taking sexuality as an entry point for Linguistic Landscape analysis. More specifically, we argue that a focus on sexuality in space opens up a window into the affective, intimate and embodied dimensions of politics.
Keywords: affect, affirmation, body, intimate citizenship, Israel, queer, transformation
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Performative citizenship – language, embodiment, and affect
  • 3.Sexual politics in Israel
  • 4.Intimate citizenship, desire and the politics of affirmation
  • 5.Embodied public assemblies, shame and the politics of transformation
  • 6.Conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • Note
  • References
Published online: 26 November 2018
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ll.18006.mil
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