Immigrant closets: tactical-micro-practices-in-the-hyphen

Area of Science:

• Sociology
• Cultural Studies
• Queer Theory

Background:

• Culturally hybrid individuals face complex identity negotiations.
• Queer immigrants navigate intersecting ethnic and sexual identities.
• The concept of queer "outness" is often valorized.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how culturally hybrid agents use the "closet" to negotiate sexuality and ethnicity.
• To apply Michel de Certeau's notion of tactics to queer immigrant micro-practices.
• To examine the power dynamics of visibility and invisibility for queer immigrants.

Main Methods:

• Ethnographic research with the Russian Gay and Lesbian Group of West Hollywood.
• Application of Michel de Certeau's theoretical framework of "tactics".
• Analysis of daily micro-practices within a Russian-American immigrant community.

Main Results:

• The "closet" serves as a negotiated space for intersecting sexual and ethnic identities.
• Queer immigrant micro-practices demonstrate strategic movement between cultures.
• Power is derived from oscillating between visibility and invisibility, challenging the emphasis on "outness".

Conclusions:

• Culturally hybrid agents strategically employ the "closet" for identity negotiation.
• Queer immigrants' micro-practices highlight the power of managing visibility.
• The study suggests a nuanced understanding of queer identity beyond simple "outness".