Open AccessCreating Something out of Nothing
Author(s) -
Cory W. Thorne
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
ethnologies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1708-0401
pISSN - 1481-5974
DOI - 10.7202/1069855ar
Subject(s) - temporalities , queer , everyday life , sociology , aesthetics , invisibility , nothing , privilege (computing) , identity (music) , gender studies , negotiation , ethnography , principle of legality , environmental ethics , social science , political science , epistemology , law , anthropology , art , philosophy , physics , optics
While pervasive through much of Cuban society, underground economies take on special significance within the LGBTQI+ community. Not only must we engage in deep contextualization and seek vernacular theorization within everyday life, but we must also consider queer timelines – queer temporalities as part of any analysis while simultaneously abandoning Global North identity categories as they relate to Global South performances. This essay is part of a larger project – a critical queer ethnography of Cuban everyday life – however with a focus on the negotiations of ethics, relationships, and community as a means of survival for individuals who are largely invisible to broader society. Though erased, ignored, and hidden, these individuals share universal characteristics which we must not exoticize in relation to our own experiences: food, sex, and housing are fundamental elements to life, regardless of privilege or legality.