Citation

Kulick D. Lang. Commun. 2003; 23(2): 139-151.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2003, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/S0271-5309(02)00043-5

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article examines how the enunciation (or not) of the word [`]no' in particular social situations works performatively to produce those situations as sexual, materializing particular subjects as sexual subjects. Three instances are examined in detail: (1) cases of rape, where the meaning of a woman's [`]no' may be disputed; (2) the [`]Homosexual Panic Defense', which claims that unwanted homosexual advances may legitimately be resisted with physical violence rather than words; and (3) sadomasochistic scenes, where [`]no' is a token of formulaic resistance used to heighten pleasure. It is argued that in analyzing such instances, performativity must be distinguished from performance, and identity from identification.