Trans Identity and Catalan Independence Share Key Perspectives, Research Finds
LAWRENCE – When Marta Vicente was researching various aspects of transgender identity, one surprising word kept coming up: colonialism.
“There’s a sense of breaking free from subordination of political powers,” said Vicente, a professor of history and of women, gender & sexuality studies at the University of Kansas.
“That’s really interesting because of the political component but also the geographical component; colony has to do with the landscape and the state. Yet colony is also about the body.”
Her new article “Rethinking Identity: Transgender Studies and Catalan Independence” finds trans people and those who favor Catalonia’s independence from Spain often express their identities as being political bodies that seek recognition as autonomous entities. By merging trans and independence narratives, she provides a new perspective on notions of identity as they apply to discussions over national sovereignty. Her piece is published in Catalan Review.