Troubled Subject-Making

Abstract

In this chapter, we outline the theoretical framework we are using to understand the relationship between being young and queer(ed), and being suicidal or self-harming. We argue in Chapter 1 that we are aiming to reframe the parameters of the field of study because they rigidly adhere to an at-risk, psychopathological frame of explanation which limits understanding and leads to missed opportunities where prevention is concerned. Our emphasis, in developing an alternative mode of enquiry and explanation, is on the interdependence of emotions and norms in relation to bodies, an emphasis which requires us to engage with subject-making through discourse and materiality. Our approach highlights the way norms and emotions are embodied at the intersection of youth, sexuality, gender and mental health. In this chapter, we set out key theoretical investments and ask questions that resonate throughout the book.