inhospitable to and sexual minorities, the and attitudes there in regard to gender banlieue, and sexuality, have more recently been presented as a microcosm of the Muslim world inside France. In to inaugurate this inquiry, virility will first be unmoored from its gender assignment in order to better comprehend it as a concept. In this vein, I pay attention to how "virile" women have been depicted by some of these same activist actors. Though banlieue the latter loudly state their "progressive," feminist credentials, I will argue that the representation of virile women poses particular problems for French LGBT and feminist activists who have elsewhere built up the alleged danger of immigrant-issued virilities for sexual diversity and tolerance. It would seem, upon analysis, that the condemnation of virility overshadows concern for women in general, repressing the diversity of gender expression, by contending that women adopting postures must necessarily be victims of false “virile” consciousness, having integrated, despite themselves, an overpowering and non-transgressive virility that conventionally fits the masculinist laws of the Though the latin root of banlieue. denote my use of the term does not interpret these women’s “virility”—“vir”—does “man,” practices as a mere reappropriation of a trait that fits men more In illustrations “naturally.” throughout this study, virility evolves from a gender essence to denote a concept that combines assertiveness, ambition, potency, and sometimes combativity. Though one kind of reading would find in these practices a projection of gender norms, I argue that these women (and in a different way, sexual minorities) remove the gender component of banlieue so that it slides toward a gender-neutral concept, one that reflects urban belonging “virility” rather than gender belonging. Missed in depictions like is a sensitivity to how La Cité du mâle virility might constitute a manipulable tool allowing women who master it to deal in the currency of the environments in which they reside, often achieving the respect of their peers and demonstrating implantation in the community at hand. Evidence for this is found,
inhospitable to and sexual minorities, the banlieue, and attitudes there in regard to gender and sexuality, have more recently been presented as a microcosm of the Muslim world inside France. In to inaugurate this inquiry, virility will first be unmoored from its gender assignment in order to better comprehend it as a concept. In this vein, I pay attention to how "virile" banlieue women have been depicted by some of these same activist actors. Though the latter loudly state their "progressive," feminist credentials, I will argue that the representation of virile women poses particular problems for French LGBT and feminist activists who have elsewhere built up the alleged danger of immigrant-issued virilities for sexual diversity and tolerance. It would seem, upon analysis, that the condemnation of virility overshadows concern for women in general, repressing the diversity of gender expression, by contending that women adopting “virile” postures must necessarily be victims of false consciousness, having integrated, despite themselves, an overpowering and non-transgressive virility that conventionally fits the masculinist laws of the banlieue. Though the latin root of “virility”—“vir”—does denote “man,” my use of the term does not interpret these women’s practices as a mere reappropriation of a trait that fits men more “naturally.” In illustrations throughout this study, virility evolves from a gender essence to denote a concept that combines assertiveness, ambition, potency, and sometimes combativity. Though one kind of reading would find in these practices a projection of gender norms, I argue that these women (and in a different way, banlieue sexual minorities) remove the gender component of “virility” so that it slides toward a gender-neutral concept, one that reflects urban belonging rather than gender belonging. Missed in depictions like La Cité du mâle is a sensitivity to how virility might constitute a manipulable tool allowing women who master it to deal in the currency of the environments in which they reside, often achieving the respect of their peers and demonstrating implantation in the community at hand. Evidence for this is found,
Chicago-Talk.docx