Testimonies and Confessions: Trans* Tensions in the Modalities of Self-Emergence

Abstract

Starting from the problematic positioning of subalternized communities marked by sex, gender, class, and race identities, this article analyzes certain debates surrounding two films: Paris is Burning, regarded as a foundational reference in cultural studies, is critically examined to develop a contemporary framework that enables a critical reading of Orlando, My Political Biography by Paul Preciado. From this perspective, the article deepens the analysis of the testimonial device as a return to the self, revisiting the boundaries and tensions involved in the need to construct representations of a “we, the survivors” as an alternative to instrumentalization.