'Where there is power there is resistance, and yet, or rather consequently, this resistance is never in a position of exteriority in relation to power...' (Foucault in Sullivan 42)
Michel Foucault and Nikki Sullivan argue that resistance does not operate purely against power but they are inherently linked. It is this link that had been the catalyst to queer theory. So, can queer theory be a site of resistance? The short answer is yes which, by the way, will be my answer to most question of 'is this a form of resistance?'. In Sullivan's article there is much discussion about queer theory and how it resist. One part that I found the most compelling is where she explains the position of Michael Warner. The reader is asked to look at queer as a verb and not as a noun. It is not an identity--it is an action, a conscious action to resist the norm (50).
My question is: if a person decides to label or identify with the term queer does that mean they are then subjects of resistance? And if they are could it be one of no choice or agency? Is that problematic? For me I think it is. We, as a class, have talked about the reality of social, mental, emotional and physical harm that can occur when one labels themselves as something different from the norm. I do think we can force someone to resist something they do not want to, for whatever reason it is, we cannot. If we did we would be reinscribing systems of power. On the other hand, I think people can participate in something without knowing they are doing so and while doing so subvert/resisting the norms.
As for queer theory itself, I do find it to be a place of power and resistance. It is a field of study and knowledge that consciously subverts and critiques structural forms of oppression.
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