ABSTRACT
For example, while in the countries of the north, ‘the deployment of sexuality’ (Foucault 1978: 24) has made sexual self-definition a central marker of identity, in the south the concept of sexuality per se has not penetrated as deeply or as extensively. Such is the case in Mexico, where research has shown that men’s sexual practices (with other men) do not necessarily link to particular sexual identities (Carrillo 2005; Parrini 2007; Nuñez 2007; Prieur 1998). How then does the relationship between sexuality, identity and rights play out in different settings and situations? In this chapter, we will address this question by analysing field data produced in the context of a series of major changes to Mexican law regarding sexuality. In order to better understand the subjective processes associated with these changes, we developed a series of case studies to shed light on the issues involved (Stake 1994: 237). By analysing observational records, autobiographical narrative interviews (Lindón 1999) and conversations, we were able to look at the subjective processes and discursive construction of identities involved in different groups’ appropriation of rights.
