Living (in) the Margin: The Intersectionality of Language and Body in the Ballroom Culture. A Preliminary Study

Abstract

The sociological and legal recognition of the intrinsic relationship between social categorisations and the perpetuation of discrimination and oppression is encapsulated by the concept of ‘intersectionality’. This multifaceted notion, serving as both an analytical challenge and an interpretive framework, additionally encompasses the idea of a margin where individuals inhabiting the juncture of divergent social spaces converge and, in doing so, engender an innovative dimension – an interstitial realm transcending fictitious boundaries. Building upon this conceptual foundation, the current study aims to shed light on the so-called ‘Ballroom Culture’ as a compelling illustration of this perspective, with a specific emphasis on its linguistic facets, both on a verbal and non-verbal level. From the early 1960s, ballrooms have gathered marginalised individuals who fought those rules that impeded them from expressing their identity. This social context unavoidably exerted an influence on language, as the convergence of diverse cultures and (hi)stories facilitated the intertwining of multiple discourses. The linguistic outcome emerging from this intersectional margin/space was the emergence of a language that transcends any
difference of origins and identity. As this is true for both language and body language, this article first explains what intersectionality is, how it works, and what is its relationship with language. Then, it retraces Ballroom Culture’s history and traditions, which have always revolved around verbal and non-verbal display of self or other’s identity meant to make individuals feel relieved from social discrimination. Finally, the study shows some popular examples of intersectional language also to hypothesise which methodology/ies would better fit linguistic research addressing the contemporary and mediated version of the Ballroom Culture.