The Politics of Multiscalar Citizenship: The Case of Lesbian and Gay Organizing in Canada |
| |
Authors: | John Grundy Miriam Smith |
| |
Affiliation: | 1. York University, Department of Political Science , Toronto, Canada;2. Trent University, Department of Political Studies , Peterborough, ON, Canada |
| |
Abstract: | Citizenship is increasingly viewed as a multiscalar social practice, constituted and contested at local, urban, national and transnational scales. This paper attempts to bring this insight to bear on the study of queer social movement politics. A multiscalar perspective, we argue, enriches our understanding of contemporary LGBT citizenship struggles. Using qualitative case studies of lesbian and gay organizing at the pan-Canadian and urban levels in Canada, the paper demonstrates the relationships that exist between and among citizenship struggles and practices across scales. Queer political struggles at the urban level diverge widely from those at the pan-Canadian level. By using a multiscalar approach, we are able to demonstrate these critically important political differences. The paper contributes to an understanding of multiscalar citizenship by showing the different forms of politics that are produced at different scales of social movement organizing. |
| |
Keywords: | |
|
|