Slut! la costruzione dell'eteronormatività attraverso l'insulto. E una possibile risposta.

Abstract

The paper aims at providing an analysis of the heteronormative construction through language. Starting from Judith Butler’s performativity theory of language, I will try to show how the words build gender identity and sexual identity and how they are connected. This becomes clearer in the word “slut”: in fact, through this term, the normal heterosexual woman is outlined in opposition by the dominant discourse. Then I’ll focus on hate speech to understand how this leads to the construction of the Other and how the subjects are vulnerable to these words of hate. Can you escape from these offenses? Is a re-signification of these terms really possible? In order to make a critical analysis of this latter chance, I will take in exam the SlutWalk movement trying to figure out the limits of a massive effort of re-signification.

Keywords: heteronormativity, hate speech, slut, risignification, gender and language.