Experiences of Trans Joy in the United Kingdom
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15273/jue.v16i2.12906Аннотация
This paper explores the experiences of joy in trans individuals based in the UK to counter the damage-centred narratives that
dominate trans research. In its attempt to respond to calls for complex, desire-based research, this paper uses ethnographic
methods, such as participant observation and a narrative interview approach, to highlight stories of how trans individuals
experience joy both because of and despite their marginalised identity. This research is situated within the wider UK socio-
political context of increasing transphobia, as well as the broader academic context of trans studies and the anthropology of
wellbeing and the good life. Through its examination of the joy of self-determination, language, embodiment, and affirming
relationships, this paper argues that research on the trans experience should not be limited to the damage-centred narratives that currently dominate trans research, due to the negative effects this epistemic foreclosure has both on the individual and the community.