Open AccessIdentifying with the Role of “Other”: “The Pink Triangle Experiment” Revisited
Author(s) -
Noriko Milman,
Jerome Rabow
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
qualitative sociology review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.315
H-Index - 14
ISSN - 1733-8077
DOI - 10.18778/1733-8077.2.2.05
Subject(s) - empowerment , autoethnography , lesbian , gender studies , identity (music) , symbol (formal) , sociology , social psychology , psychology , aesthetics , art , political science , law , computer science , programming language
The present study examines the impact of a politically-charged symbol on the everyday interactions of student-participants. Autoethnographic data gathered by undergraduate students donning a pink triangle pin indicates that participants often became identified with a gay/lesbian identity and were subsequently “othered.” Students’ testimonies highlight how the othering process prompted greater understanding of the struggles of gay men and lesbians, as well as other historically disenfranchised groups. Finally, their writings indicate that the experiment served as an exercise in self-reflection and in some cases, produced sentiments of self-empowerment.