Allvarsam parodi och möjlighetens melankoli : En queerteoretiska analys av Ruts bok

Sammanfattning: Using queer theory as a point of departure, this study examines how ancient religious discourse can contribute to contemporary debates on gender and sexuality. To this end, employing Judith Butler’s theory of performativity, three inquiries encompassing a close reading of the book of Ruth, of the Hebrew Bible are offered. The first inquiry is a critical investigation of feminist biblical interpretations of the Book of Ruth, interpretations that share an impetus for change; this inquiry also reflects critically on the conceptions of gender and sexuality underlying these feminist interpretations in relation to these interpreters’ ambition for change. It is asked whether the underlying assumptions actually reinforce heteronormativity. The second inquiry offers a close reading of Ruth, viewed as an ancient religious discourse, and interprets gender and desire as constructed by performative means. By focusing on gendered, sexed and sexual tropes in ancient discourse, this study proposes broader possibilities for thinking about contemporary norms that inform and regulate gender and desire. The final inquiry builds on the aforementioned investigations, including the use of queer theory, and affirms ancient discourse as a helpful queer practice of reading, through which the modern reader may critically examine contemporary notions of gender and sexuality.