Le coming out des enseignants homosexuels. Intérêt et limites de l’approche goffmanienne

The authors are interested in the coming out of gay teachers. Basing themselves on Stigmate (Goffman, 1975), they compare the author’s theory with interviews carried out with six teachers in French-speaking Belgian catholic teaching. Nuancing a dichotomic vision of coming out (staying in the closet...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Stéphane Biron, Jean Nizet
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Université Catholique de Louvain 2017-08-01
Series:Recherches Sociologiques et Anthropologiques
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/rsa/1849
Description
Summary:The authors are interested in the coming out of gay teachers. Basing themselves on Stigmate (Goffman, 1975), they compare the author’s theory with interviews carried out with six teachers in French-speaking Belgian catholic teaching. Nuancing a dichotomic vision of coming out (staying in the closet or getting out of it), the authors show how the Goffmanian theory allows us to account for the variety of strategies of gay teachers in interacting with their professional entourage (students, colleagues, administration). However, the research results also accentuate the limits of Goffman’s theory. The microsociological level is not capable of validly grasping the complexity of the interactions of gay teachers. Indeed, the situation of interaction is influenced by macrosocial phenomena and the biographical trajectory of the people interviewed.
ISSN:1782-1592
2033-7485