Varieties of exceptionalism: A conversation

Selin Çağatay, Mia Liinason, Olga Sasunkevich

    Research output: Contribution to Book/Report typesChapterpeer-review

    Abstract (may include machine translation)

    This chapter explores discourses of exceptionalism, their embeddedness in particular contextual landscapes, exclusions, and transnational circulations across the Global North, East, and South. Based on a conversation between the authors around the ways in which national exceptionalism is articulated in three seemingly different landscapes - Scandinavian countries, Russia, and Turkey - the chapter highlights the relational and contextual character of particular discourses of exceptionalism, be they celebratory, pessimistic, or characterised by a sense of urgency. Drawing on interdisciplinary scholarship on genders, sexualities, and (trans-) nationalisms, we explore how these discourses are entwined with notions of modernity, national sovereignty, and superiority, contingent on the exclusion of racialised, classed, and sexualised others. While exceptionalism is no coherent or unified discourse but should rather be seen as ambiguous, hybrid, and varied, we argue that as a concept, it provides a fruitful analytical entrance to transnational feminist theorising, enabling an understanding of the systemic as well as historically specific dynamics involved in activist practices and gender and sexual politics. Our findings call attention to the role of exceptionalism in the global co-construction of ‘leaders’ and ‘victims’ in discourses of gender equality and women’s and LGBTI+ rights.

    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationTransforming Identities in Contemporary Europe
    Subtitle of host publicationCritical Essays on Knowledge, Inequality and Belonging
    PublisherTaylor and Francis
    Pages154-175
    Number of pages22
    ISBN (Electronic)9781000907407
    ISBN (Print)9781032151113
    DOIs
    StatePublished - 11 May 2023

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