Trashing Gender Scripts: Indexical Misrecognition in the Zine "Galatea's Naked"

Zines, short for ‘fanzines’ or ‘magazines,’ refer to physical, printed, self-published creations that can consist of a single sheet of paper or many, fastened together. These artifacts are rich with meaning—and, thus, can be read as tangible manifestations of the ideologies and identities of the creator(s). This thesis focuses on the way zines are used as tools of resistance. Additionally, it shows that the creation and circulation of zines are highly pragmatic acts that solidify social bonds and enable individuals to perform and reinforce their emergent identities within a collective—explicitly making a claim about who they are and what they stand for outside of more formalized or commercialized discourses. This thesis surveys the ways in which text and images function as tools of queer expression within zines. This is accomplished by an application of sociolinguistic indexical misrecognition frameworks (Barrett & Hall 2024; Silverstein 2023) to closely examine the zine “Galatea’s Naked.” It explores both specific messaging within the zine, as well as the practice of zine-making itself. Overall, this thesis highlights the way zines, which are historically non-traditional and anti-capitalist, are particularly effective avenues for self-expression.