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Wrestling with the Angels of Meaning: The Revisionist Ideological Work of Gay and Ex‐Gay Christian Men
Author(s) -
Wolkomir Michelle
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
symbolic interaction
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.874
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1533-8665
pISSN - 0195-6086
DOI - 10.1525/si.2001.24.4.407
Subject(s) - ideology , sociology , power (physics) , human sexuality , construct (python library) , gender studies , meaning (existential) , homosexuality , epistemology , law , politics , political science , philosophy , physics , quantum mechanics , computer science , programming language
Ideological change is arduous and complex work, particularly for marginalized groups that lack the power and authority to challenge dominant ideas. This study analyzes how subordinates can accomplish ideological change and under what conditions such change is likely to occur. More specifically, in this ethnographic study of two groups of men—gay Christian and ex‐gay Christian—I map a process of “ideological maneuvering” by which the men were able to sidestep dominant power and revise traditional Christian ideology in ways that accommodated their sexuality. In doing so, the men were able to construct moral identities and mitigate psychological distress. On a broader level, an examination of this process reveals how ideological revision is constrained by and reproduces inequality. We also see how this process helps to create new symbolic resources that can be used to expand culture .