Peacocks, Chameleons, Centaurs: Gay Suburbia and the Grammar of Social IdentityWhat does it mean to be a gay man living in the suburbs? Do you identify primarily as gay, or suburban, or some combination of the two? For that matter, how does anyone decide what his or her identity is? In this first-ever ethnography of American gay suburbanites, Wayne H. Brekhus demonstrates that who one is depends at least in part on where and when one is. For many urban gay men, being homosexual is key to their identity because they live, work, and socialize in almost exclusively gay circles. Brekhus calls such men "lifestylers" or peacocks. Chameleons or "commuters," on the other hand, live and work in conventional suburban settings, but lead intense gay social and sexual lives outside the suburbs. Centaurs, meanwhile, or "integrators," mix typical suburban jobs and homes with low-key gay social and sexual activities. In other words, lifestylers see homosexuality as something you are, commuters as something you do, and integrators as part of yourself. Ultimately, Brekhus shows that lifestyling, commuting, and integrating embody competing identity strategies that occur not only among gay men but across a broad range of social categories. What results, then, is an innovative work that will interest sociologists, psychologists, anthropologists, and students of gay culture. |
Contents
A Case Study in the Grammar and Microecology of Social Identity | 1 |
Identity Peacocks | 35 |
Identity Chameleons | 48 |
Identity Centaurs | 74 |
Gay Identity Disputes | 95 |
Lifecourse Changes in and Structural Constraints on Identity Management | 123 |
Identity Grammar beyond Gay Identity | 137 |
Identity Stability vs Identity Mobility | 157 |
Identity Purity vs Identity Moderation | 177 |
Identity Singularity vs Identity Balance | 199 |
11 Conclusion | 215 |
Grounded Theory and Analytic Fieldwork | 229 |
References | 235 |
| 247 | |
| 259 | |
Other editions - View all
Peacocks, Chameleons, Centaurs: Gay Suburbia and the Grammar of Social Identity Wayne Brekhus No preview available - 2003 |
Common terms and phrases
100 percent adjective African American analytic auxiliary characteristics balance centaurs chameleon commuter's commuters and integrators concentrated context contrast core culture defined density diluted displays disputes dominance duration enclaves environment ethnic everyday facets flavor focus friends full-time gay bar gay commuters gay ghettos gay identity gay integrators gay lifestyler gay space gayness gender grounded theory heterosexual high-density high-duration homosexuality ideal types iden identity attribute identity category identity commuters identity grammar identity management identity politics identity strategies identity-specific individuals ingredients instance integrator's lesbian lifecourse lifestyler's lifestylers and commuters lifestylers and integrators live mainstream marked attribute markedness master status mobility moderation muters night noun occupational omnivore one’s oppression organize overall part-time peacock person play political queens queer racial San Francisco setting sexual identity social identity social networks social space sociological spatial straight subculture suburban gay suburbs temporal theory tion tity univores urban verb visible weekend York Zerubavel