Overview

Despite increasing tolerance, legal protections against homophobia, and anti-discrimination policies throughout much of the western world, suicide attempts by queer youth remain relatively high. For over twenty years, research into queer youth suicide has debated reasons and risks, although it has also often reiterated assumptions about sexual identity and youth vulnerability. Understanding the cultural context in which suicide becomes a necessary escape from living an unliveable life is the key to queer youth suicide prevention. This book uses cultural theory to outline some of the ways in which queer youth suicide is perceived in popular culture, media and research. It highlights how the ways in which we think about queer youth suicide have changed over time and some of the benefits and limitations of current thinking on the topic. Focusing on identity, Queer Youth Suicide, Culture and Identity also investigates why queer young men continue to attempt suicide. Drawing on approaches from queer theory, cultural studies and sociology, it explores how sexual identity formation, sexual shame and discrepancies in community belonging and exclusions are implicated in the reasons why some queer youth are resilient while others are vulnerable and at risk of suicide. As such, it will appeal to scholars of sociology, media studies, queer theory and social theory with interests in youth, gender and sexuality, and suicidology.

Full Product Details

Author:   Rob Cover
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Edition:   New edition
Dimensions:   Width: 15.60cm , Height: 1.30cm , Length: 23.40cm
Weight:   0.476kg
ISBN:  

9781409444473

ISBN 10:   1409444473
Pages:   184
Publication Date:   28 May 2012
Audience:   College/higher education ,  General/trade ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Reviews

A Yankee Book Peddler UK Core Title for 2012 'Blending beautifully extant research with analyses of media representations, Rob Cover shows us that queer youth do not seek death, but an end to the pressure of making their sexual identities coherent, alongside shame, vulnerability, homophobia and the cultural politics of coming out. We must have a genuine interdisciplinary dialogue if we are ever to comprehend queer life as resilient.' Katrina Jaworski, University of South Australia, Australia 'Informed by post-structuralism, queer theory and a transdisciplinary ethos, this highly accessible text demonstrates the relevance of culture studies to a topic dominated by psychological and sociological analyses. Introducing debates on sexuality and suicidal risk while questioning the explanatory frameworks and prevention strategies that might be applied to issues of vulnerability and queer youth suicide this book is an important marker in the emerging field of queer youth suicide.' Katherine Johnson, University of Brighton, UK 'In Queer youth suicide, culture and identity Rob Cover presents a unique approach to conceptualising the issue of queer youth suicide by examining both the representation of the issue in popular media and the discursive frameworks through which suicidal queer young people are typically understood. By questioning the representation of queer youth as inherently vulnerable on the basis of their sexuality alone as well as the discourse of risk on which current knowledge of suicide is based, he provides a novel interpretation of the available research and widely publicised instances of queer young people who have taken their own lives and makes a persuasive argument for a change in how we as a society deal with this phenomenon... a balanced analysis of media representations of queer young people and suicide, pointing out the gaps and shortcomings as well as the strengths in current understanding of the issue. In particular, Cover's examination of the 'It Gets Better' campaign does an excellent job of illuminating the potential positives as well as the negatives of a public discourse that presumes all queer young people to be vulnerable and at risk... On the whole, Cover has written a book that elegantly weaves together a poststructuralist critique of the academic literature, representations of queer youth from popular culture and real-world examples in order to make a case for looking at queer youth suicide not through frameworks of bullying or depression, but through an understanding of the pressure that queer young people may feel to make their sexual identities whole and recognisable to others... this book is a worthwhile read and a valuable tool for anyone who engages with queer young people in any way.' Culture, Health & Sexuality 'Steeped in Butler- and Foucault-inspired sensibilities, Cover's examination of popular media, academic, and Internet texts challenges existing narratives that assume that homophobia is the root cause of queer youth vulnerability and that all queer youth are equally at risk of suicide. ... Cover highlights the shortcomings of current approaches to queer youth suicide, he also offers alternatives; the book is as pragmatic as it is theoretical. ... This text is highly accessible and interdisciplinary, with relevance for readers interested in policy making, advocacy, media studies, rhetoric, sociology, and queer theory. ... Queer Youth Suicide, Culture and Identity effectively brings queer theory into a conversation that has been long dominated by more traditional gay and lesbian studies, and makes a compelling case for expanding how we interpret representations of queer suicide and sexuality and how we can work to reduce it. In the end, the book is an excellent effort to bridge the gap between academic theory and practice, a fitting (albeit incomplete) response to a social problem to which we still seem to be struggling for lasting solutions.' QED-A Journal in GLBTQ Worldmaking

A Yankee Book Peddler UK Core Title for 2012 'Blending beautifully extant research with analyses of media representations, Rob Cover shows us that queer youth do not seek death, but an end to the pressure of making their sexual identities coherent, alongside shame, vulnerability, homophobia and the cultural politics of coming out. We must have a genuine interdisciplinary dialogue if we are ever to comprehend queer life as resilient.' Katrina Jaworski, University of South Australia, Australia 'Informed by post-structuralism, queer theory and a transdisciplinary ethos, this highly accessible text demonstrates the relevance of culture studies to a topic dominated by psychological and sociological analyses. Introducing debates on sexuality and suicidal risk while questioning the explanatory frameworks and prevention strategies that might be applied to issues of vulnerability and queer youth suicide this book is an important marker in the emerging field of queer youth suicide.' Katherine Johnson, University of Brighton, UK 'In Queer youth suicide, culture and identity Rob Cover presents a unique approach to conceptualising the issue of queer youth suicide by examining both the representation of the issue in popular media and the discursive frameworks through which suicidal queer young people are typically understood. By questioning the representation of queer youth as inherently vulnerable on the basis of their sexuality alone as well as the discourse of risk on which current knowledge of suicide is based, he provides a novel interpretation of the available research and widely publicised instances of queer young people who have taken their own lives and makes a persuasive argument for a change in how we as a society deal with this phenomenon... a balanced analysis of media representations of queer young people and suicide, pointing out the gaps and shortcomings as well as the strengths in current understanding of the issue. In particular, Cover's examination of the

Author Information

Rob Cover is Associate Professor of Social and Cultural Studies at the University of Western Australia, Australia.

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