Antigos caminhos queer: Uma exploração decolonial

by Zairong Xiang

A pesquisa do professor, curador e escritor Zairong Xiang tem sido pautada pelo que ele mesmo costuma chamar de práticas de ensino e curadoria com cosmologia e cosmopolitanismo. Partindo de uma complexa diversidade cultural, especificidades históricas e escrituras em inglês, espanhol, francês, chinês e nahuatl, a obra de Zairong apresenta um viés muitíssimo original. Se, à primeira vista, o seu ecletismo ex-cêntrico pode soar um pouco enigmático, lendo os seus textos e ouvindo suas palestras, tudo parece fazer sentido, especialmente em um país como o Brasil, onde a promiscuidade cultural tem sido sempre um ponto de partida inevitável. O principal argumento de Zairong é que o colonialismo tem afetado as traduções de culturas não ocidentais antigas, na tentativa de fortalecer os seus próprios paradigmas.

Genres: Queer, Nonfiction, History, LGBT, Gender, Queer Studies, Gender and Sexuality

270 pages, Paperback

First published December 4, 2018

Reviews

[Nathaniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5. less quotable than I had hoped, and it needed some minor style edits, but a) a compelling argument, b) methodologically fascinating (I would 100% assign this book even just as an example of the best kind of comparative literature). really enjoyable and — the amount of time it took me to finish it notwithstanding — an engaging read, almost even a page-turner.

[Tasmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This an incredibly fascinating read that will have a lasting impact on my worldview and my journey to decolonial thought.
The only downfall of this was its accessibility, as this is a very heavy academic text and sometimes hard to get through. It took me a very long time to read - even though I have studied ancient history (etc) in university - as my head would start to hurt from reading. Zairong Xiang makes you work for this one. This is hardcore anti-brainrot material and valid in its complexity. However, I truly wish such an interesting and necessary discourse was more accessible to the broader public.
Essentially, this book is divided into 3 parts: It looks at the Enūma eliš epic from Mesopotamia, the concept of "creatio ex nihilo" from Christianity as well as multiple deities and the cosmo-philosophy from the Nahua. It discusses them from the point of view of decolonialism, queerness, intersexuality and more. It is deeply enriching and refreshing to dissect these ancient myths and concepts and beliefs from a non-white, non-heteronormative perspective and gave me much to think about how we see the world, how language and myths hold power and how the consequences of colonialism has always had its claws in the future.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating, thoughtful, and deep. Xiang analyzes how Babylonian and Nahua mythic figures have been subject to (binarized) gendering in colonial-Western academic discourses; while this gendering is not necessarily evidenced in the myths themselves, and in some cases is even overtly countered by the mythological texts in their original languages, it reflects the centrality of dichotomous thinking about sex/gender in Western thought and in colonialism. Absolutely vital reading for thinking through the coloniality of gender, epistemic violence in translation, and ways that ancient texts “have resisted the modern categorical and hierarchical logic of segregation, long before ‘queer theory’ was coined in the 1980s” [78]. Highly recommend.

[Á. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Presenta ideas muy interesantes sobre cómo el pensamiento eurocéntrico y cristiano imperante ha malinterpretado mitos de culturas tan distantes como la babilónica y la azteca. La tesis principal del ensayo es demostrar que dichas civilizaciones convivían con conceptos mucho más fluidos respecto a la sexualidad y la identidad, en especial en sus mitologías, y cómo se pervirtieron por encajarlos en el rígido binarismo occidental a base de perpetuarlos en el ámbito académico.

Es una tesis doctoral convertida en libro y se nota. Lleno de notas al pie, cada pocas páginas se descubre una referencia a un nuevo libro, estudio o incluso discurso que permite ampliar más información, pero el autor gusta de andarse por las ramas y explicar conceptos de forma retirada para introducir nuevos. Por ese motivo es posible que leas unas cuantas veces el Numa Eilish, o la traducción equivocada de los nombres de divinidades aztecas, un poco desesperante. Tiene sus momentos de revelación y descubrimiento (y menudos son), pero hay que buscarlos.

[Júlia {fitzloved era}]

Sense cap dubte m’ha paregut un treball de recerca fascinant, en el que destacaria el fet que explica l’autora amb el referent als pensaments o conceptes colonials que permeen en la nostra visió de les cultures en l’antiguitat. M’ha resultat molt interessant com a una base teórica a tenir en compte, siguent que fa poc he llegit alguns textos mitològics sumeris i assiris i hi ha algunes interpretacions de tall eurocéntric i adjacent al cristianisme.

[Kai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una investigación decolonial y desde la teoría queer para acercarse a deidades de mesopotamia y Mesoamérica más próxima a la cosmovisión ancestral sobre los cuerpos, género, y divinidad. Expone elementos conceptuales y epistemológicos coloniales que aún permean nuestra relación con los otros y los hace “objeto” de ser investigado…
“Métodológicamente fascinante” dijo otra reseña.

[Jayme Horne · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I wish sometimes Xiang would take their conclusions further, I found this super informative and was actually very helpful for my own paper I was working for my graduate degree.

[Ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I think it is good this books exist, and I can appreciate the points and critiques it offers, I do think the density of it is not for me.

[Izdihar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dense, unique, subversive, fascinating. An academic text that still treats the reader to some excellent storytelling is a rare thing. Thank you!