Strange/Queer Temporalities in Jackie Kay’s Trumpet

Abstract

This study explores the strange/queer temporalities in Jackie Kay’s novel Trumpet and investigates how transgender experiences and narratives can effectively subvert the prevailing view of time as a linear and normative concept. Taking the initial cue from Sara Ahmed’s concept of “Queer Vandalism”, which underscores marginalised identities’ deliberate resistance against societal constructs, the study centres on Kay’s protagonist, Joss Moody, a transgender jazz trumpeter, and examines the tension between individual identity and societal conformity in relation to time. Diverging from mainstream representations of transgender individuals, which often risk pathologising their experiences, Kay’s novel vividly illustrates how Joss Moody defies norms by living as a man while biologically female, bringing into plain view societal reactions when his female body is posthumously revealed. A special emphasis is placed on the transformative role of Jazz in Joss’s self-reconstruction and temporal liberation. The article concludes with a discussion of the novel genre’s capacity to venture into unconventional temporal dimensions and disrupt normative narratives.

Keywords

• Jackie Kay
• Trumpet
• Jazz
• Queer Temporalities
• Queer Vandalism
• Music
• Self-reconstruction
• Gender Identity
• Marginalised Identities

Jackie Kay’in Trumpet Adlı Romanında Tuhaf/Kuir Zamansallıklar

Abstract

Bu araştırma, Jackie Kay’in Trumpet adlı romanında tuhaf/kuir zamansallıkları ele alır ve transseksüellik deneyiminin ve buna dair anlatıların, zamanın çizgisel ve normatif bir kavram olduğu yönündeki hâkim görüşü etkili bir biçimde nasıl altüst edebileceğini inceler. Sara Ahmed’in marjinalleştirilmiş kimliklerin toplumsal yapılara karşı kasıtlı direnişini vurgulayan “Kuir Vandalizm” kavramından yola çıkan bu çalışma, Kay’in başkarakteri ve transseksüel bir caz trompetçisi olan Joss Moody’i merkeze alır ve bireysel kimlik ile toplumsal kaidelere uyma arasındaki gerilimi zamanla ilişkilendirerek irdeler. Kay’in romanı, çoğu zaman transseksüel bireylerin deneyimlerini patolojize etme riski taşıyan ana akım temsillerden farklı olarak, Joss Moody’nin biyolojik olarak kadınken bir erkek olarak yaşamak suretiyle kaidelere nasıl meydan okuduğunu apaçık bir şekilde göstermekle kalmaz; müzisyenin kadın bedeni ölümünden sonra ortaya çıktığında meydana gelen toplumsal tepkileri de tüm gerçekliğiyle gözler önüne serer. Bu bağlamda Joss’un kendini yeniden inşa etmesi ve zamansal düzlemde özgürleşmesinde Caz müziğinin dönüştürücü rolüne özel bir vurgu yapılır. Makale, roman türünün sıra dışı zamansal boyutları keşfetme ve normatif anlatıları bozma kapasitesine dair tartışmayla neticelenir.

Keywords

• Jackie Kay
• Trumpet
• Caz
• Kuir Zamansallıklar
• Kuir Vandalizm
• Marjinalleşmiş Kimlikler
• Müzik
• Benliğin Yeniden İnşası
• Cinsiyet Kimliği

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