Although speculative fiction in all its iterations has historically mostly been the domain of white, Western men it inherently possesses the capacity for theorizing different futures. This thesis...Show moreAlthough speculative fiction in all its iterations has historically mostly been the domain of white, Western men it inherently possesses the capacity for theorizing different futures. This thesis will explore the works of speculative fiction by three female authors of color: N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy, Octavia Butler’s Parable duology and Nnedi Okorafor’s Who Fears Death to examine how these novels imagine alternative futures. The theoretical framework will consist of the integration of posthumanist thought with cyborg theory and postcolonial theory, as these theoretical approaches all share the theorization of challenge to dominant power structures. Ultimately, this thesis will read these works and specifically their main characters as figures who straddle or ascend boundaries and in doing so, offer possibilities for transformation and resistance.Show less
An inquiry into the transformation of the collective U.S. memory of the Tulsa Race Massacre through remediation in HBO's Watchmen (2019) and Lovecraft Country (2020).
In this thesis, the argument is made that the extent to which secrecy was employed in early twentieth-century lynching in the American Deep South is dependent on whether that secrecy provided the...Show moreIn this thesis, the argument is made that the extent to which secrecy was employed in early twentieth-century lynching in the American Deep South is dependent on whether that secrecy provided the desired sense of security from persecution to those participating in a lynch mob. Using three case studies, ranging from a highly publicized and public killing in Waco, Texas, to a group slaying of remotely situated Mexican Texans by a division of Texas Rangers, to a highly coordinated attack on a jewish factory boss in the dark of night, it is argued that either the cover of obscurity or the anonimity in a large group setting could each supply the needed sense of safety for those participating in the lynching to commit to the act fully. The circumstances which would dictate the public or secretive approach varied widely in the studied cases, yet there are some common grounds to be found among them as well.Show less
This research examines the construction of the ambiguous category of Jewishness through the affective ‘desire for Jewish identity’ expressed in a number of canonical post-war works of Jewish...Show moreThis research examines the construction of the ambiguous category of Jewishness through the affective ‘desire for Jewish identity’ expressed in a number of canonical post-war works of Jewish-American fiction by Philip Roth, Bernard Malamud, and Joshua Cohen. Building on recent work by Benjamin Schreier, Jonathan Freedman, and Walter Benn Michaels this thesis problematises the racial underpinning of Jewish identity, as well as reopening the broader question of the relation between race and culture in multicultural understandings of identity. Ultimately it makes an argument for the field of Jewish American studies to move away from a critical practice that begins with the prior category of “identity” towards one that places an analysis of the affective “desire for identity” at the heart of its critical project.Show less
A comparative analysis between Nella Larsen’s Passing, Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and Brit Bennett’s The Vanishing Half. The thesis explores the texts through the lens of trauma theory and...Show moreA comparative analysis between Nella Larsen’s Passing, Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and Brit Bennett’s The Vanishing Half. The thesis explores the texts through the lens of trauma theory and postcolonial theory and considers the relation between trauma, colorism and passing. It finds that even though all three novels challenged the notions of colorism (at their time of publication) through the use of narrative stylistics, they all use different strategies to achieve this objective. To be more specific, while Passing and The Bluest Eye use a narrative style which is associated with Modernism and Postmodernism, The Vanishing Half adopts narrative devices which can be best explained with postcolonial theory.Show less
This thesis focuses on intergenerational Japanese American activism after 1945, relating to nuclear weapons. Both hibakusha (i.e. atom-bomb survivors) and Americans with Japanese heritage voiced...Show moreThis thesis focuses on intergenerational Japanese American activism after 1945, relating to nuclear weapons. Both hibakusha (i.e. atom-bomb survivors) and Americans with Japanese heritage voiced their concerns about a nuclear holocaust. Traced over time, this thesis argues that Japanese American activist groups addressed and reflected on the critical heritage of the bomb, making sure that there will be “No more Hiroshima’s and Nagasaki’s.”Show less
