Scandalous Bodies is an impassioned and learned book about multiculturalism and literature by diasporic writers in English Canada. Kamboureli's exploration of ethnicity ranges from government policy to media representations, from the relationship between realist fiction and historical realities to postmodern renderings of the multicultural, from the philosopher Charles Taylor to the cultural responsibilities of diasporic critics like the author herself. Kamboureli does not come up with neat or comforting solutions to the problems she addresses, and if her study offers any definite answers, these lie in how her method of reading elucidates the fluidity of ethnicity and therefore the need to avoid the pitfalls of political orthodoxies. Her close readings of such classic Canadian novels as F. P. Grove's Settlers of the Marsh and Joy Kogawa's Obasan show that we can best understand the politics of cultural difference if we focus on individual gestures and historical instances, immigration policies and racialization, sexuality and pedagogy, and how we read literature as a product of often conflicting personal and national visions. At the forefront of critical practice today, Scandalous Bodies offers a politically subtle meditation on multiculturalism that will have a lasting impact.
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Oxford University Press, Incorporated
ISBN-10
0195414500
ISBN-13
9780195414509
eBay Product ID (ePID)
1624747
Product Key Features
Author
Smaro Kamboureli
Publication Name
Scandalous Bodies : Diasporic Literature in English Canada
Format
Trade Paperback
Language
English
Publication Year
1999
Type
Textbook
Number of Pages
280 Pages
Dimensions
Item Length
8.9in
Item Height
0.8in
Item Width
6in
Item Weight
13.6 Oz
Additional Product Features
Lc Classification Number
Pr9188.2.M55k36 2000
Copyright Date
2000
Target Audience
College Audience
Topic
Canadian, European / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh