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A Comparative Analysis of the Marginalization

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A Comparative Analysis of the Marginalization THE DISCURSIVE CONSTRUCTION OF HATE: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE MARGINALIZATION AND DEHUMANIZATION OF HOMOSEXUALS IN NAZI GERMANY AND IN THE PRE-STONEWALL UNITED STATES MARIO GUERRERO-CORAL A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY GRADUATE PROGRAM IN EDUCATION YORK UNIVERSITY TORONTO, ONTARIO DECEMBER 2019 © Mario Guerrero-Coral, 2019 ii ABSTRACT This research study explores and compares substantive and rhetorical strategies through Which homosexuals came to be reviled and pathologized in Nazi Germany and the pre-StoneWall US by sufficiently large segments of their respective societies that their persecution and eradication became tolerated. Considering that the majority of manifestations of discrimination (e.g., homophobia, racism, sexism, anti-Semitism) are mostly discursive, my analysis focuses on the reproduction of hatred and discrimination through different types of text and talk within the broader sociopolitical and religious contexts of both Nazi Germany (1933–1945)and the US in the 1950s (van Dijk, 1993). This study seeks to understand the discursive constructions of the Other, because in its definition and characterization, the Other (the homosexual) was described, portrayed, and presented as a stranger who was different and unwanted in both historical contexts (Bauman, 1993). Through critical discourse analysis (CDA) as the methodological and analytical frameWork of this study, I collected and analyzed written and spoken texts that represent a significant sample of moderate mainstream politicians, neWspapers, and education texts for both historical contexts. The analysis of the collected data demonstrates that in both contexts the discursive construction of the Other mostly relied on stereotypical notions of homosexuals. However, there were differences betWeen the institutional and political approaches against homosexuals in the tWo societies in terms of levels of homophobia. Persecution (i.e., medicalization, criminalization, dehumanization, and extermination) and the use of rhetorical devices largely depended on the sociopolitical structures of each nation (e.g., democracy versus dictatorship). At the same time, there were also similarities, as both societies needed to rely on iii pseudoscientific information to legitimize institutional, social, and violent homophobia and to persuade their citizens to turn against homosexuals. iv DEDICATION I dedicate this dissertation to all the individuals Who Were victims of hatred and homophobic acts in Nazi Germany and the pre-StoneWall US. During these historical eras, many men were subject to persecution, incarceration, and extermination simply for being homosexuals. I also dedicate this dissertation to my loving and caring mother, Who instilled in me the important values of perseverance and resilience. She also supported me during the most challenging moments as I worked towards my PhD. This milestone is specially dedicated to her for all her efforts in supporting me to achieve this degree. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I want to acknowledge the support from York University and Freie Universität for funding my journey as a PhD student in Canada and in Germany. It would have not been possible to achieve this important goal in my life without the support from these tWo institutions. I want to thank Dr. Sandra Schecter not only providing me with the necessary feedback to continue my academic journey as a PhD student, but also for giving me significant lessons about the life of a scholar. I am also very thankful that Dr. Schecter has demonstrated continuous support to help me secure job opportunities since I started this process with her and for supporting me to move to Berlin as part of my research process. Thanks to Dr. Didi Khayatt and Dr. Laura Wiseman for their invaluable advice. I am very thankful to Dr. UWe Gellert, my supervisor at Freie Universität, for his support and guidance during my stay in Berlin. Special thanks to Loretta Fiorini for her guidance and help with all the logistics of my PhD process. And thanks to: • Benedict Gudrich for his patience and support translating all the German documents into English; • Sara Potkonjak and her loving family for offering me support when I needed it the most; • Bibiana Benavides for her advice and for alWays cheering me on to keep going. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... ii Dedication ...................................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... v Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... vi Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 Historical OvervieW .................................................................................................................... 2 Homosexuality: Definition ...................................................................................................... 3 Sodomy and Anti-Homosexuality LaWs: Historical OvervieW .............................................. 4 Homosexuality in Germany .................................................................................................... 6 Homosexuality in the United States ........................................................................................ 8 The Lavender Scare .............................................................................................................. 10 The Kinsey Report ................................................................................................................ 11 Significance of the Study ......................................................................................................... 12 On the Use of Terminology in This Dissertation ...................................................................... 14 Summary and Dissertation Outline ........................................................................................... 17 Chapter 2: Conceptual FrameWorks .............................................................................................. 19 Discursive Construction of Hate ........................................................................................... 19 Discursive Discrimination and Elite Discourse .................................................................... 20 Theoretical Dimensions of Discrimination ........................................................................... 23 Linguistic Strategies of Hate ................................................................................................. 24 Mental Structures, Beliefs, and Ideologies ........................................................................... 25 Bauman: The Texture of Hatred and Dehumanization ............................................................ 27 The Normalization of Hatred ................................................................................................ 28 Dehumanizing the Other ...................................................................................................... 30 Defining the Other ............................................................................................................... 31 Aliens Versus Neighbors ..................................................................................................... 32 Summary .................................................................................................................................. 35 Chapter 3: Literature RevieW ........................................................................................................ 36 Hate Speech and Homophobic Discourse ................................................................................ 36 Hate Speech: Definition ....................................................................................................... 36 Implications of Hate Speech ................................................................................................ 37 vii Homophobic Discourse ........................................................................................................ 38 Masculinity and Stereotyping ................................................................................................... 42 Stereotyping ......................................................................................................................... 42 Discourse, Identity and Categorization ................................................................................ 44 Gender Stereotypes .............................................................................................................. 45 Homosexual Stereotypes ...................................................................................................... 46 Discourse and the Construction of Hate .................................................................................. 47 Metaphors and Hate Speech ................................................................................................. 47 Identifying and Analyzing Metaphors ................................................................................
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