From sodomita to omosessuale : social and cultural transitioning in Franco Buffoni’s novel Zamel

Abstract

The study of social and cultural transitions that directly affect sexual minority rights is becoming more pertinent, especially because an increasing number of societies are making their way through a post-closet era. There is a body of research on coming out narratives emanating from individual perspectives and experiences but the coming out of societies features less in research agendas. This article aims at contributing to this area of study by focusing on collective efforts that work toward more equitable cultures and societies. It engages with the social novel “Zamel”(Buffoni 2009) to study multiple factors that enable shifting definitions of sexual minority rights. In particular, we focus on the role of religion in social and cultural transitioning by examining the historical shift from an era that considered homosexuality an aberration to a time when people belonging to sexual minorities could live without fear or punishment.