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Article published In: Gender, Sexuality & Linguistic Landscapes
Edited by Tommaso M. Milani
[Linguistic Landscape 4:3] 2018
► pp. 257–277

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Linguistic landscapes as pornoheterotopias

(De)regulating gender and sexuality in the public toilet

 | Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
 | Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
Published online: 26 November 2018
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/ll.18005.vas
Abstract
Drawing on multimodal analysis of graffiti in male public restrooms at the Faculdade de Letras of the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, this paper investigates how notions of place and gendered/sexualized subjects are discursively (re)constructed in interactions with the materiality and historicity of the public realm. The analysis focuses on the indexicalities of public signage and the ways they (in)form understandings of and access to certain spaces. By investigating the fragmented history of entextualizations of these toilet graffiti as well as the indexicalities of their lexical, graphic, and co(n)textual aspects, we argue that places can be queered since they are semiotically constructed and discursively performed. The paper illustrates how static assumptions about place, gender, and sexuality can be disrupted and ressignified which highlights the pornoheterotopic character of these public restrooms in which semiotic processes that (de)regulate gender and sexual dissidence are emplaced.
Resumo
A partir de uma análise multimodal de grafitos nos banheiros masculinos da Faculdade de Letras da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, neste artigo investigamos como noções de espaço, gênero e sexualidade são discursivamente (re)construídas em interações com a materialidade e a historicidade do espaço público. As análises focalizam processos indexicais da paisagem linguística e as formas que essas indexicalidades (in)formam compreensões do e acesso ao espaço público. A investigação da história fragmentada dessas indexicalidades e seus aspectos lexicais, gráficos e co(n)textuais sugere que espaços podem ser desorientados (i.e. queered). Isso se torna possível por conta de sua natureza como fenômenos semioticamente construídos e discursivamente performados. Por fim, o artigo ilustra como suposições relativas a espaço, gênero e sexualidade podem ser desafiadas e ressignificadas. Esse processo mostra o caráter pornoheterotópico do banheiro público onde processos que (des)regulam dissidências sexuais e de gênero são materializados.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.The spatialization of gender and sexuality: Pornoheterotopias
  • 3.The mutually constitutive relations among public signage, subjects and spaces
  • 4.Contested spaces, contested identities: (De)regulating gender and sexuality in the public toilet
    • 4.1Challenging cisheteronormativity
    • 4.2Discourses in dispute
  • 5.Final remarks
  • Notes
  • References
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This list is based on CrossRef data as of 26 november 2025. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.

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