This thesis examines the interface between migration and identity, and more specifically the impact of the migration experience on the subjectivity and identity of migrant women in Lucia Berlin’s...Show moreThis thesis examines the interface between migration and identity, and more specifically the impact of the migration experience on the subjectivity and identity of migrant women in Lucia Berlin’s short story collection A Manual for Cleaning Women (2015). By close reading a selection of stories that addresses both the issues of mobility and relocation and the subjective effects of migration, I study if and how the experience of migrating and living in the borderlands leads to the configuration of a border identity –that is, a decentered and multiple subjectivity– in a multilingual and intercultural context. Essentially, I argue that Berlin’s stories not only depict different individual experiences of migration and life at the borderlands, but also their impact on the protagonists’ sense of self. Furthermore, I contend that the borderlands are not just a physical place; they are also a state of in-betweenness where transformation of identity takes place and a new self emerges. Using postcolonial and feminist theories and drawing primarily on migration studies and identity studies, this thesis is theoretically inspired by Gloria Anzaldúa’s theory of the borderlands and, critically assessing some of its main concepts, seeks for additional meanings of what a borderland may be and what it is like to live there. In doing so, this thesis explores issues of culture shock, cultural and linguistic dislocation, belonging, and identity (trans)formation.Show less
This thesis examines the identities and experiences of second-generation British Muslim women in Nida Manzoor’s We Are Lady Parts (2021). Despite the proliferation of scholarship about the...Show moreThis thesis examines the identities and experiences of second-generation British Muslim women in Nida Manzoor’s We Are Lady Parts (2021). Despite the proliferation of scholarship about the complexity of Islamic practices and experiences of Muslims in the West, (immigrant) Muslim women are still plagued with homogenizing assumptions that relegate them to the realm of the passive or the dangerous. We Are Lady Parts demonstrates these realities while also offering alternative ways of understanding Muslim women by centering universal issues of faith, friendship, love and belonging. Using postcolonial and feminist theoretical frameworks, I aim to understand how unconventional representations of punk Muslim women undermine current patriarchal and colonial discourses both in Muslim and non-Muslim communities. I pay special attention to the women’s gender performativity and the ways in which it enables performative agency in their musical performances. I then address the heterogeneity of the characters’ identities by analyzing how they navigate their desires, romantic relationships, and religion. Finally, I examine the ways in which the women are excluded from embracing a British identity and how they form alternative paths to belonging via sisterhood and a decolonial worldview.Show less
This thesis is a study of word and image in a long poem by the American artist John Cage. Discussing the ethics of reading and the implication of the critic in the work of criticism, I argue that...Show moreThis thesis is a study of word and image in a long poem by the American artist John Cage. Discussing the ethics of reading and the implication of the critic in the work of criticism, I argue that Cage's text calls for an "architectonic" theory of reading which accounts for the materiality of written language.Show less
It is often assumed that all manipulation of truth follows a similar format. However, an examination of the way that ‘post-truth politics,’ the strategies, politicians and communities that...Show moreIt is often assumed that all manipulation of truth follows a similar format. However, an examination of the way that ‘post-truth politics,’ the strategies, politicians and communities that consciously manipulate facts to alter the ‘truth’ of their audience for political gains, and historiographic metafiction, a genre of postmodern literary texts that interpret history while simultaneously critically assessing and questioning the ‘truth’ they construct in their interpretation, shows that both post-truth politics and historiographic metafiction manipulate truth for completely different purposes. Yet, little research has been done on how these manipulations of truth work and how they differ. This thesis studies how truth is manipulated in post-truth politics and historiographic metafiction respectively, how these manipulations differ and overlap and what this means for future research on neutralizing or repurposing the manipulation of truth by post-truth politics.Show less
This thesis analyzes the social and academic value of fanfiction concerned with LGBTQ+ representation in Young Adult Literature. Since the heteronormative discourse looks upon LGBTQ+ as a...Show moreThis thesis analyzes the social and academic value of fanfiction concerned with LGBTQ+ representation in Young Adult Literature. Since the heteronormative discourse looks upon LGBTQ+ as a controversial theme, LGBTQ+ identities and storylines in media such as literature are often stereotyped and negative. Young Adult Literature finds itself in a position where it can provide positive LGBTQ+ representation because of its tendency towards realism. However, existing power structures still prevent this genre from fully reaching its potential. This potential can be realized through fanfiction, an open discourse available on the internet. On fanfiction platforms, people with LGBTQ+ identities write the narratives they need based on official media stories, such as literature and movies. This thesis offers two comparative analyses. First, I will compare the non-LGBTQ+ Young Adult novels The Hunger games: Catching Fire and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, with a selection of corresponding LGBTQ+ fanfiction. In the second part, I present a comparison between the LGBTQ+ Young Adult novel Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe and a selection of corresponding LGBTQ+ fanfiction. Both of these analyses research the interpretations by fanfiction writers of the Young Adult novels on which they are grafted, highlighting their specific needs with regard to LGBTQ+ representation.Show less
The alteration of representation in young readers’ editions of Nathaniel Philbrick's "In the Heart of the Sea" and Mary Lee Shetterly's "Hidden Figures".
The main purpose of this thesis is to draw attention to the "positive" signification of physical suffering. In four chapters bodily female suffering is analysed -respectively- as a way of self...Show moreThe main purpose of this thesis is to draw attention to the "positive" signification of physical suffering. In four chapters bodily female suffering is analysed -respectively- as a way of self-identification, a call to action, a means of identification with the disastrous Other, and a condition for the production knowledgeShow less
This thesis proposes a Wittgensteinian reading of Alberto Caeiro, one of Fernando Pessoa's principal heteronyms. By closely studying Wittgenstein's and Caeiro's poetic imagery, striking...Show moreThis thesis proposes a Wittgensteinian reading of Alberto Caeiro, one of Fernando Pessoa's principal heteronyms. By closely studying Wittgenstein's and Caeiro's poetic imagery, striking similarities between their poetic philosophy and philosophical poetry will come to the fore. In addition, with Kierkegaard I will argue that Wittgenstein and Caeiro can be considered 'subjective thinkers'.Show less
This thesis aims to explore the intertextual relationship between Jeanette Winterson’s Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit and the Bible, and the intertextual relationship between Oranges Are Not the...Show moreThis thesis aims to explore the intertextual relationship between Jeanette Winterson’s Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit and the Bible, and the intertextual relationship between Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit and Winterosn’s documented life in her memoir Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? and interviews. With the help of the core concepts of paratextuality, allegory, and authorship, I shall work with Gerard Genette, Angus Fletcher, and Michel Foucault to examine the intertextuality revealed among the above-mentioned texts.Show less
