Abstract
Building on Viet Thanh Nguyen’s interviews with refugee writers, and on Lebanese novelist Barakat’s fictionalized ‘confessions’ of the displaced (winner of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction), I discuss what the journey does to an individual, families, and the receiving countries and the supposed crisis of national identity, stoked by political factions. What cultural effects result from collective trauma, and how can social outreach embolden a conception of belonging? Throughout, I reference Agier, Benhabib, Dufoix, Carens and others, as well as novelists, poets, painters and filmmakers who confront sorrow and seek to change social perceptions.
Presenters
John Charles HawleyProfessor Emeritus, English, Santa Clara University, California, California, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Vectors of Society and Culture
KEYWORDS
Displacement, Diasporas, Borders, Citizenship, Ethics
