Stories of Non‐Becoming: Non‐Issues, Non‐Events and Non‐Identities in Asexual Lives

Abstract

In contrast to conventional models of positively "becoming" an identity through social interaction, this article explores the inverse, negational process of "non-becoming," whereby actors start but do not continue along an identity career trajectory. Through cumulative attrition, interactions and encounters at key moments create an overall pattern of non-progression. Using asexuality as an example, we identify three main trajectory stages of non-awareness, communicative negation and non-consolidation, each involving interactional contingencies. With a wider applicability to other repudiated identities, this model shows how even negational symbolic social objects (non-issues, non-events, and non-identities) are constituted through social interaction.

A Sociology of Nothing: Understanding the Unmarked

“…For example, asexuality is negatively defined in a deficiency model, as a lack of 'normal' sexual desire and/or attraction (Carrigan 2011). Yet this may not be a personally meaningful basis of self--identity: some asexual people report that they do not define themselves as such; the characteristic only becomes relevant when noticed and problematized by others in the unmarked majority (Scott et al 2016). The career trajectory of non--becoming is the mirror image of the trajectory of becoming, involving key encounters with others that lead an actor away from, rather than towards, a potential social identity (Scott et al 2016).…”

“…Yet this may not be a personally meaningful basis of self--identity: some asexual people report that they do not define themselves as such; the characteristic only becomes relevant when noticed and problematized by others in the unmarked majority (Scott et al 2016). The career trajectory of non--becoming is the mirror image of the trajectory of becoming, involving key encounters with others that lead an actor away from, rather than towards, a potential social identity (Scott et al 2016). Just as Becker (1963) outlined the interactive social process of learning to do or to become, we also learn how not to do (Mullaney 2001).…”

“…Relations, interactions and negotiations occurring at each step create negative definitions and meanings about the characteristic. A process of cumulative attrition occurs, whereby everyone starts out from the same point of potential identity building, but more and more fall off the path at every step, not reaching their destination (Scott et al 2016). An important difference between the two career trajectories of becoming a 'non--' (dis--identification through acts of commission) and non--becoming (non--identification through acts of omission) is the question of reversibility.…”

Understanding asexual identity as a means to facilitate culturally competent care: A systematic literature review

“…Qualitative accounts from Brotto et al. (), Carrigan (), MacNeela and Murphy (), Pacho (), Scott, McDonnell, and Dawson (), Sundrud () and Van Houdenhove et al. () provide insights into the process of identity formation for many asexuals.…”

“…Furthermore, asexuality can be, and is regularly subcategorised into demisexuals, Grey‐A, A‐fluid, aromantic, heteroromantic, homoromantic, biromantic, panromantic (Carrigan, ; Sundrud, ). Most studies summarised this diversity by commenting on the heterogeneity of the asexual community (Brotto et al., ), the variation and complexity of subidentities (MacNeela & Murphy, ), the diversity evident in the asexual narratives (Prause & Graham, ) and the range of attitudes towards romance (Carrigan, ; Scherrer, ; Scott et al., ). The diversity of asexuality is reflected in the range of relationship preferences, from compassionate enduring relationships, to preferences of the aromantic, or any position across the spectrum (MacNeela & Murphy, ).…”