Reclaim

To reclaim something is the political process and strategy consisting in re-evaluating and re-appropriating terms that in the dominant culture are used to oppress minorities. Similar to the 'pride' movements, this process differs because of its provocative elements: derogatory terms come to acquire positive meaning in the tight circle of the literati, while they keep their negative connotations outside of it. Michel Foucault discusses this idea as a 'reverse discourse' in his History of Sexuality: Volume I.

Related Topics:
Minorities - Pride

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The use of these terms by people who are not members of that group tends to remain viewed as strongly derogatory.

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Reclaimed words include

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• 'Nigger' by the black movement
• 'Bitch', 'cunt' and 'feminazi' by the feminist movement
• 'Dyke', 'poof', 'queer', and 'faggot' by the LGBT movements
• 'Redneck' by southern political movements, especially conservative movements.
• 'Jesus freak' by Christians, and especially Christian teens.