Over the course of this year, we have studied in depth the power of the life narrative to act as a platform for marginalized voices to challenge the socio-political hegemony that so often silences them. By publishing counter-narratives that challenge dominant tropes about disability (as seen in Ryan Knighton’s Cockeyed), sex work (discussed in Maggie De […]
In his biotext Diamond Grill, Fred Wah argues that the concept of the hyphenated identity (identity that rests between two worlds) poses a “problem for multiculturalism” because it is a “sign of impurity” (178) rather than an acknowledgement and celebration of cultural intersectionality. This impure hybridity can thus often reinforce dominant hegemonies within multicultural societies […]
It is generally understood that archives are important sites of historical cultural, legal, and social documentation for groups, nations, and individuals worldwide. Without archival documentation, a society’s ability to form its own identity and obtain its own ancestral knowledge would be “severely compromised” (Carter 221). Rodney Carter discusses the discrimination enacted against marginalised groups’ access […]
In 2003, Iranian-born author Marjane Satrapi published Persepolis, a graphic narrative of her childhood experience of war-torn Iran throughout the 80s. Through clear, minimalist sketches which often reflect ancient Persian art, Satrapi challenges the impossible feat of expressing the many traumas of her past – one of which is a ruptured relationship with her nation. […]