Gender, Race, Identity and the Practice of Writing A Feminist Project

Date of Award

2010

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Humanities

First Advisor

Hassold, Cris

Keywords

Feminism, Race, Writing

Area of Concentration

Humanities

Abstract

This thesis is an experimental engagement of the relationship between identity and writing. In it, I use multiple tones, tongues, and voices to challenge the boundaries between critical writing and creative writing, and theory and literature. The thesis is organized into three chapters that grapple with the function of silences, the significance of the location from which one writes, and the strategic potential of alternative writing styles. I draw on a range of feminist and postcolonial theorists, including Trinh T. Minh-ha, Gloria Anzaldua, Helene Cixous, Audre Lorde, Luce Irigaray, and bell hooks. The goal of this thesis is to explore a series of complex tensions and debates, rather than reduce these issues to a singular position. While writing is often trivialized as an indulgent and privileged activity that has limited political impact, I look at the practice of writing as a relevant and important liberatory political project for feminists and anti-racists. Furthermore, I explore the potential of a transgressive type of personal writing that is not concerned with the excavation of an authentic self; rather, I focus on writing a particular moment from a situated perspective. Overall, the goal of the thesis is to develop a theory of writing that considers writing as a practice of engagement and articulation that aims to undermine the culture of domination.

Rights

This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS