Speaking violence : homophobia and the production of injurious speech in schooling cultures

In this chapter, we explore the ways in which homophobic violence is understood and recognised both in society more broadly and particularly within schooling cultures. We also examine the discourses through which same-sex attraction is constructed, and the impact of these discourses in addressing the ongoing problem of homophobic violence in schools. While physical forms of violence are most salient and most visible – that is most visibly injurious – forms of linguistic violence (direct or indirect name calling and verbal abuse) and emotional and psychological violence also have severe detrimental effects (Davies, 2008; Hillier et al., 1998, 2005; Mason, 2002; Mason & Tomsen, 1997; McInnes, 2008; McInnes & Davies, 2008; Rasmussen, 2006; Robinson & Ferfolja, 2008). All too frequently within school environments, this kind of violence either goes unrecognised (or in some cases is ignored) by educators or is shut down with little room for the perpetrators of such harassment and violence to reflect on their own subject position within relations of power. In our earlier work that examined homophobic and gendered violence within schooling cultures (Davies, 2008; McInnes, 2008; McInnes & Davies, 2008) we outlined an approach to educational ethics that resists the reproduction of normative ideas of the coherent subject. By educational ethics we mean the response of educational institutions such as schools to situations such as homophobic violence, so that students, teachers, parents and the wider community are educated about the engagement of homophobic violence to reinforce normative subjectivity across gender, sexuality, race, class and ability. In order to re-think school violence, we argue that those involved in incidents of homophobic violence would benefit from understanding the effects of their behaviour through the process of circuits of recognition that operate when individuals are involved in incidents of homophobic violence.