Genderqueer Perspectives on Sarah Kane’s Cleansed and 4.48 Psychosis

Abstract

This essay analyses the plays Cleansed and 4.48 Psychosis by Sarah Kane in the context of genderqueer identity. Genderqueer is used as an umbrella term for identities that fall outside the binary of male and female, a concept imposed by a Western hetero- and homonormative society that this work seeks to subvert. Contemporary queer (performance) theory and lived experiences of trans* and queer people form an integral part in understanding the plays’ characters, their struggles and their journey in these plays. This serves as an attempt to disrupt academic discourse around identity in Kane’s works to-date and inform ways to understand genderqueer perspectives.