The Interregnum of Hegemonies: Reflections on the Recent Puerto Rican Shift in the Hegemonic Discourse of Heteronormativity

Abstract

Gramsci’s hegemony framework has been the subject of extensive study and enhancement since its emergence. However, the interregnum of hegemonies – the period during which the hegemonic discourse has started to lose its supremacy and the counter-hegemonic discourse has started to become a real antagonistic force – has not been the object of study or of theoretical formulation. This paper attempts to describe and explain the phenomena that evolve during such period. In order to do so, this paper takes as a case study the current shift in the hegemonic discourse of heteronormativity in Puerto Rico. After the discussion on how the hegemonic discourse of heteronormativity was established, maintained and defied in Puerto Rico, the paper focuses on the most recent event related to the aforementioned shift. With this in mind, a study of the legislative and political process surrounding Resolution 99, a bill proposing the amendment of the Constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage, is given. This study is followed by an analysis of the actions and reactions taken by the groups attempting to either preserve or acquire the dominion over the regulation of sexuality. Finally, based on the Puerto Rican experience, a theoretical formulation of the interregnum of hegemonies is given.