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Nelson traverses her own negotiations with these questions within the text, while we as readers are invited along for the ride and asked to look inward. These questions are also pertinent to sociologists and those who are engaged in social research more generally. Often within the discipline of sociology there is a dismissal of LGBTQI+ topics as “me-search” or “too micro” to be applicable to wider society. However, as shown within The Argonauts, queer life stories need to be told to offer critical interventions within our contemporary socio-political moment.
A narrative guide and practical methodology for nurturing and sustaining our relationships with ourselves, others, and the world. “With intimacy as the foundational principle of our existence, we can build a life based on what we truly need, not what we think we need or have been told we need. By embracing the practice of radical intimacy, I can confidently promise my readers a personal revolution of self-acceptance, appreciation, vitality, and confidence. And without fail, mind-blowing, soul-stirring, earth-shattering sex follows.” —Zoë Kors Though it may be impossible to place this work in one genre, The Argonauts can arguably be seen as a great work of autotheory; what critical theorist Lauren Fournier describes as “the commingling of theory and philosophy with autobiography”, which is often seen as a queer/trans/feminist form of activism. In her collective pursuit with friends, family and philosophers, Nelson seeks to make sense of the world and try to find new ways of being, doing and living that are not delineated by hegemony. In particular, her questions and commentary on pregnancy and kinship, merged here with Butler, open up an interesting dialectic of how we think about LGBTQI+ rights and their relationship to the concept of family: Is there something inherently queer about pregnancy itself, insofar as it profoundly alters one’s ‘normal’ state and occasions a radical intimacy with – and radical alienation from – one’s body? How can an experience so profoundly strange symbolize or enact the ultimate conformity? I cannot say that I read the book without some discomfort (which is often the case when I read reflections on trans lives from cis perspectives), particularly the discussion about Dodge’s medical transition. Within the discussions of hormones, surgery and recovery, Nelson does not decentralise herself from the discussion. Though she is writing “personally”, I think there are limits to how deep one can delve into such private matters. Love may be deeply embodied, but even the (dis)embodied voice(s) of this memoir cannot speak from everywhere, or from everyone – and neither can we as social researchers. Learning the art of building true intimacy gives you the opportunity to grow deeper, more enriching bonds with others, and even yourself. By turning your attention inward to gain clarity on your divine needs and how to fulfill them, you can transform all of your relationships. With the right expert guidance, anyone can increase their capacity for love in a way that nourishes their heart and soul. Though short, this is a very dense, well-researched book about how capitalism prevents us from living full lives in which we can support and love each other. I agreed with the premise already, so it was a preaching to the converted situation for the most part.
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A punchy and impassioned account of inspiring ideas about alternative ways to live … Radical Intimacy is the compassionate antidote to a callous society’ I didn't find the writing style particularly easy to engage with. Some of the anecdotes were nice and really grounded the ideas in what is otherwise an incredibly theory-heavy read. I especially enjoyed the passage where Sophie and her friend dressed up as rich people to spy on Ballymore housing developers, but mostly I felt myself pushing towards the end of the book because it was fairly short and I couldn't justify giving up when I was already halfway done. Every course includes access to a private online community with fellow course members. Ask questions, share your stories, and enjoy benefiting from the encouragement and wisdom of others. What are the ethical implications of telling another’s story? Who gets to speak and why? What are the limits of the citation and can we exist beyond it? If our world is so bound up in questions of the seeable and sayable, then what power is enacted when we foreground the bodies, minds and lives of others in our work?
In this, Rosa discusses a few (non-exhaustive) areas such as death, healthcare, family, and work. I found myself drawn more towards the discussions of death (and caring), as it (unsurprisingly) isn't something I've considered in a collective sense. Personally what would've elevated this discussion more is bringing in Freud's Death Drive theory, particularly Edelman's use of it in relation to the child, as I noticed children, The Child, adult centrism sentiments, etc weren't really brought in, bar when considering the concept of 'youth'. Stronger chapters focused on the housing and health and social care crises, and I found her chapter on grief and death very interesting. It’s clear that a lot of work went into this and Rosa is great at synthesising the views of others. But I think there was so much in the book the analysis was sometimes superficial, as another reviewer has written. Rosa really comes into her own when she offers her own analysis, which was particularly the case in the chapter on housing, rather than offering us other people’s views.The Argonauts is a beautiful meditation on queer love, kinship, mothering and the shifting nature of identities which is certain to move audiences. Using fragments, memories and quotes from friends, lovers, philosophers and mentors, Maggie Nelson captures the complexities of care, desire and devotion with fullness and depth of emotion.
Getting physical certainly stirs up the neurochemistry of attachment, mobilizing oxytocin and opioids that generate positive feelings and encourage more of the same. Once we link those feelings with a particular person, we want to stay with that person. Clinch and repeat. Though Nelson mostly focuses on her own perspectives of her relationship with Dodge, her text is deeply reflexive throughout. The Argonauts is a work that highlights our need to be open to critique and to be accountable for ourselves, both through communication with others and through self-reflection. For sociologists, reflexivity is a key part of doing social research.The combination of citation and speech from others intermingled within the prose makes it difficult to know where the author ends and another takes her place.
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