Humanities & Social Sciences
Description
In Straight Nation, Pavan Mano reveals the logic of straightness that sits at the heart of postcolonial nationalism in Singapore. Mano rejects the romantic notion of the nation as a haven of belonging, showing it to be a relentless force that is allied with heteronormativity to create a host of minoritized and xenologized figures. Through meticulous exploration and close reading of a swathe of texts, Mano unveils the instrumental role of sexuality in structuring the national imaginary. The book adroitly demonstrates how queerness is rendered foreign in postcolonial Singapore and functions alongside technologies of "race", gender, and class. A provocative critique of narrow contemporary identity politics and its concomitant stymying of a more ambitious political critique, Straight Nation sets out an argument that moves beyond the negativity of traditional critique into a space of (re)thinking, (re)building and (re)imagining.
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Endorsements
In Straight Nation, Pavan Mano dissects the intricacies of nationalism in postcolonial Singapore and its entanglements with the governance of sexuality. Decidedly rejecting the romanticization of the nation as a pure bastion of belonging, he theorizes nationalism as a force obsessed with continually generating threats and excavates the alliance it has struck up with heteronormativity to produce a series of minoritized figures that contemporary identity claims can neither handle nor dispel. Through an elegant exploration of a vast array of texts and cultural artifacts, Mano argues that the compact between sexuality and nation is instrumental in producing multiple queered figures who are displaced from the national imaginary at various turns. Dwelling on what is often taken as conventional wisdom, Straight Nation demonstrates how queerness can be xenologized under the sign of the postcolonial nation and turned into a technology of "race", gender and class in the right contexts. The book delivers a sharp riposte to narrow identity politics and outlines in exquisite detail how the governance of sexual expression functions as a powerful mechanism that shapes the lives of many more than sexual minorities - including, as unlikely as it may seem, heterosexual people. In the face of the far-reaching effects of heteronormativity coupled with nationalism, Straight Nation presents a compelling argument for an expansive, non-identarian political critique that is capable of dismantling the deeply entrenched force of heteronormativity in postcolonial Singapore and the detritus of nationalism along with it.
Reviews
In Straight Nation, Pavan Mano dissects the intricacies of nationalism in postcolonial Singapore and its entanglements with the governance of sexuality. Decidedly rejecting the romanticization of the nation as a pure bastion of belonging, he theorizes nationalism as a force obsessed with continually generating threats and excavates the alliance it has struck up with heteronormativity to produce a series of minoritized figures that contemporary identity claims can neither handle nor dispel. Through an elegant exploration of a vast array of texts and cultural artifacts, Mano argues that the compact between sexuality and nation is instrumental in producing multiple queered figures who are displaced from the national imaginary at various turns. Dwelling on what is often taken as conventional wisdom, Straight Nation demonstrates how queerness can be xenologized under the sign of the postcolonial nation and turned into a technology of "race", gender and class in the right contexts. The book delivers a sharp riposte to narrow identity politics and outlines in exquisite detail how the governance of sexual expression functions as a powerful mechanism that shapes the lives of many more than sexual minorities - including, as unlikely as it may seem, heterosexual people. In the face of the far-reaching effects of heteronormativity coupled with nationalism, Straight Nation presents a compelling argument for an expansive, non-identarian political critique that is capable of dismantling the deeply entrenched force of heteronormativity in postcolonial Singapore and the detritus of nationalism along with it.
Author Biography
Pavan Mano is Lecturer in Global Cultures & Interdisciplinary Education in the Department of Liberal Arts at King's College London.
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View all titlesBibliographic Information
- Publisher Manchester University Press
- Publication Date March 2025
- Orginal LanguageEnglish
- ISBN/Identifier 9781526176783 / 1526176785
- Publication Country or regionUnited Kingdom
- FormatPrint PDF
- Pages232
- ReadershipCollege/higher education; Professional and scholarly
- Publish StatusPublished
- Dimensions234 X 156 mm
- Biblio NotesDerived from Proprietary 6206
- Reference Code16401
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