Transtaggning och ämnesordsaktivism : Indexering i händerna på Den Andra

Sammanfattning: This thesis emanates from the understanding that it is of importance that transgender-themed literature is indexed in accordance with how people who identify as trans name themselves and interpret the concept of trans. Based on interviews with representatives from controlled vocabularies and LibraryThing users who tag transgender-themed material, existing attitudes towards user influence in controlled vocabularies are described and the significance of tagging for transgender-themed material is looked into. With queer theory and postcolonial theory as its main framework the analysis looks at what possibilities there are for users to influence controlled vocabularies and explores possible strategies for a future library catalog that includes the voice of the Other. The study lands in the understanding that many of the resisting attitudes towards user influence within the systems for subject headings in fact lie in the systems’ limitations. The conclusion is made that the concept of connected knowledge could be a possible way to integrate Others in the shaping of subject headings. Opening controlled vocabularies to user influence does not automatically break down hegemonic structures or include all voices, nor does it make indexing predictable. But as the monolithic power is compromised, the possibility of transgender-themed literature to be indexed according to how people who identify as trans would name it increases. This is a two years master’s thesis.