| Through an ethnographic investigation of the lesbian subculture, this study explores the ways that solidarity is produced between lesbian strangers in the urban public realm. Using data collected from participant observation, self-administered qualitative surveys and interviews, the social interactional dynamics occurring on streets and other public places are detailed, beginning with the most minute interactional rituals and moving on to more enduring social engagements. The production of inequality and exclusion on the street level is also investigated. The results of the study emphasize the importance of stranger engagements in urban environments and highlight the need to become critically aware of the often taken-for-granted rituals and strategies that occur in public places. The dissertation is based on the theoretical proposition that nonintimate social actions have profound repercussions on more intimate groups and on social structure. |
