Seminar Report: Literary, Cultural, & Disability Studies: A Tripartite Approach to Postcolonialism

Abstract

Held at Lancaster University's Centre for Research (CeDR) in June 2009, this seminar was first of a summer series designed to foster in-depth exploration of topics within Cultural and promote dialogue with other areas of research.1 A Tripartite Approach to Postcolonialism began with a keynote presentation by Dr. Clare Barker (University of Birmingham) and Prof. Stuart Murray (University of Leeds), guest editors of forthcoming special issue of JLCDS on postcolonialism. Their presentation, Literatures and Materiality of offered a survey of relationship between postcolonial scholarship and Studies, while also making a series of critical interventions. In particular, speakers stressed need for a close engagement with local conditions of production of text, arguing that transcultural applicability of key theories and concepts from Cultural cannot be assumed. For example, they suggested that David T. Mitchell and Sharon L. Snyder's seminal concept of narrative prosthesis- developed in Narrative Prosthesis: and Dependencies of Discourse (2000)-invites analysis focusing on metaphorical meaning of individual character, neglecting idea of community central to many postcolonial narratives. speakers also argued that issues of care and cure may function very differently in postcolonial texts. Offering brief readings of works from a range of postcolonial contexts (including texts by Salman Rushdie, Ben Okri, Sahar Khalifeh, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, and Patricia Grace), Literatures and Materiality of Disability made a compelling case for contribution can make to postcolonial scholarship, and vice-versa. As with best work in Cultural Studies, this presentation actively sought to advance our understanding of not one but two fields. Drawing on but not requiring familiarity with previous work by both speakers-particularly notion of autistic presence and argument that a shift in reading strategies is required when engaging with postcolonial texts2-their presentation successfully balanced conceptual sophistication with accessibility for those less familiar with postcolonial studies. Sparking most discussion during post-presentation question session was issue of metaphor. Among points raised were whether there is a difference between metaphor and metaphorization, and need to ask what a character communicates about disability before level of metaphor. In fact, while postcolonial texts may make issue of metaphor a particularly pressing one, metaphor has been keenly discussed at various recent events, suggesting that, in UK Cultural at least, it is a hot topic. This was illustrated in next presentation, Shifting Perspective, Heightening Awareness: Weaving Dialogues Between Postcolonial Theory and Studies by Ana B. Pereira, a postgraduate student at Lancaster University. Her paper drew out parallels between postcolonial theories and Studies, before offering an in-depth reading of a classic text in postcolonial theory, Frantz Fanon's The Fact of Blackness (included in 1952 collection Black Skin, White Masks). Noting extent to which imagery of impaired body is used in Fanon's essay-in terms reminiscent of, though without reference to, Mitchell and Snyder's writing on disability as the master trope of human disqualification (3)- she stressed importance of bearing in mind the existence of interlocking systems of oppression. In same panel, Beatriz Miranda-Galarza of University of Leeds presented a paper examining relationship of disability to postcolonial issues from a Latin American perspective. Drawing upon both fieldwork and personal experience, 'Between a will to write and a body to be written': Disability, history and things that West forgot to say was an invitation to rethink western historical and theoretical account of disability that, she argued, has disabled contribution of those from other milieus. …