Editorial: Gender and Language: Contributions and Response to a 2016 AAIS Roundtable
by Paola Bonifazio
A brief summary of essays included in g/s/i no. 3 Invited Perspectives.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15781/tx7d-5×56
category: Invited Perspectives
6. Sexism, misogyny and heteronormativity in Italian legal and media language. The case of “Stupro della fortezza da Basso.”
by Michela Baldo
Michela Baldo introduces the theme of the AAIS 2016 roundtable, that is those discourses of gender and sexuality circulating in Italy oriented in a homophobic, transphobic, sexist and misogynist way, but also the ways in which language can become a tool to fight discrimination. The author subsequently introduces queer linguistics, a branch of linguistics that aims to challenge essentialist, hegemonic and naturalized notions of gender and sexuality, and that can be useful in unmasking the work of heteronormativity in the formation of public discourses.
7. Translingual Queer Practice
by Serena Bassi
Serena Bassi suggests that we rethink what the relationship between social change and evolution of language usage might look like. To offer a different perspective on the subject, she asks how a Translation Studies paradigm helps us reflect on the “gay rights” vocabularies that have appeared in various guises in Italy since the 1960s. In English.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15781/vhpj-pr19
8. On the Different Fates of “darla” and “darlo” in Italian
by Cinzia Russi
Cinzia Russi demonstrates how Darla “be promiscuous, of women” and darlo “engage in sodomy” first appear in the sixteenth century; in the late twentieth century, darlo acquires the meaning of “have sex, of men” (same as darla but without the connotation of “easiness”). While darla is well established in the average speaker’s lexicon, darlo (in both meanings) remains highly marginal.
9. AAIS 2016 Roundtable on Gender and Language: Language Inclusivity and the Subversion of Hegemonic Notions of Gender and Sexuality
by Michela Baldo, Serena Bassi, Juliet Guzzetta, Cinzia Russi
This roundtable was organized by Nicoletta Marini-Maio, Editor of gender/sexuality/italy, and Michela Baldo at the American Association for Italian Studies annual convention in Baton Rouge (AAIS) in April 2016. The presenters covered such topics as language inclusivity, misogynistic and asymmetrical uses of language, heteronormativity and homophobia in language, gender asymmetry in historical linguistics, grammatical norms, and trasnlingual practices. A lively discussion among the roundtable presenters and audience followed.
10. Intervista a Cecilia Robustelli
by Cecilia Robustelli and Nicoletta Marini-Maio
This interview provides a panorama of the institutional intiatives on the issue of gender and language in Italy since the creation of the Comitato nazionale di parità in 1983 and the publication of Alma Sabatini’s seminal study Il sessismo nella lingua italiana in 1987 to date. Robustelli argues that because of its ample scope including linguistic, cognitive, and cultural aspects, Sabatini’s work has not only raised the interest of feminist groups,
Invited Perspectives on Gender Domination
Invited Perspectives on Gender Domination-Invited Perspectives Editorial
by Paola Bonifazio
The Invited Perspectives Editorial introduces the articles of this section by contextualizing them to the topic of the themed section, “gender domination.” It also highlights the gaps in this section that meaningfully address unsolved issues in contemporary discourses of feminism and male/female domination.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15781/p518-kx91
9. Lo spazio pubblico si femminilizza, ma scompare il conflitto tra i sessi
Lo spazio pubblico si femminilizza, ma scompare il conflitto tra i sessi
by Lea Melandri
“Feminizing the public space” does not only mean highlighting women’s presence therein, but also realizing that “femininity,” as it has been traditionally defined, is strongly relevant today in the same space from which it was excluded for centuries. According to Melandri, in the last twenty years, some ambiguous figures have appeared in Italy: veline,
10. Dominio femminile, oppressione maschile: un nuovo secondo sesso?
Dominio femminile, oppressione maschile: un nuovo secondo sesso?
by Elena Dalla Torre
This essay constitutes a short critical reflection on the anti-feminist position of Fabrizio Marchi, founder of the movement “Uomini Beta,” whose “philosophy” of masculism is articulated in response to the consolidated tradition of Italian Feminism, which often ignored the masculine condition. In such philosophy, which we could ironically call of a new second sex, the oppressed male—the victim of a socio-economic model based on success and financial wealth—stands in opposition to the dominant woman,
11. Never Felt So Good by Rossana Campo. Translation of Excerpt, with Critical Introduction
Never Felt So Good by Rossana Campo. Translation of Excerpt, with Critical Introduction
by Adria Frizzi
Over the past twenty years Rossana Campo has established herself as one of the most interesting authors in contemporary Italian literature. Her writing is characterized by its heavy reliance on the spoken register and focus on the female voice and experience. Never Felt So Good (1995) unfolds during a dinner party among girlfriends.