In this course, we will explore a variety of texts that speak to diasporic experiences in the United States and Canada. The term "diaspora" expresses a range of global movements: migration, immigration, exile, refugitude, and many more. These often traumatic stories expose many of the contradictions surrounding nationalism and heteronormativity, as well as the home and the family. We will investigate diasporic intersections with gender, race, queerness and class, but more importantly, look at how the concept of diaspora specifies a variety of temporal experiences, challenging normative notions of the past, present and future. We will look at how diasporic literatures deal with memory and trauma, and analyze what role hope plays in these discourses.
- Kursleiter*in: Jessica Walter