Everyone's Daughter; a Collection of Resistance Poetry, and a Discussion of Contemporary Poetry-Resistance Embraced by Women of Colour
Type of Proposal
Oral Presentation
Faculty
Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Proposal
Historically, poetry and resistance have gone hand in hand, and this is as true in North America today with contemporary poetry as it was during the Civil Rights movements of the fifties, the Beatiniks and their peace-preaching, and perhaps Canada's most well recognized poem, Flanders Fields, written as commentary on WW2. Breathing fresh breath into the lungs of resistance in this day and age is an influx of young women of colour, often with migrant backgrounds and access to rich and varied cultural influences, creating a body of contemporary poetry that is created by and for women. This act of solidarity and validation covers such topics as objectification, fetishization, racism and sexism experienced both within their ethnic communities and within the colonized nations they live in, acting as a rejection of and evolution from the academically idealized white, male, European poet. Examples of this include Rupi Kaur, Isha Loona, and Nayyira Waheed, all women of colour who have initiated yet another cycle of reclaiming poetry as a tool of healing and resistance, all with varied and unique use of literary technique. I have been working on a creative project that I believe adds to this growing body of resistance poetry, building off my own personal experiences as a young migrant Muslim woman, raised in Canada but hailing from Afghanistan, and the conflicting ideologies that have paradoxically influenced my identity, as well as the trauma resulting. Everyone's Daughter my collection of poetry, acts as a confession, an admission of weakness and a commitment to continued resilience, covering identity politics, body empowerment and a feminization of both religion and cultural identity, rejecting not only colonially imposed standards, but also ethno-patriarchal ones. Drawing from the rich culture of mythical romantic poetry in Afghan culture and the potent-yet-subtle minimalism of contemporary resistance poetry, I use multilingualism, and the language of love in reference to self, and embrace the influences that have contributed to my identity, while committing to striving for validation of that identity.
Start Date
23-3-2018 9:00 AM
End Date
23-3-2018 10:20 AM
Location
Alumni Auditorium A
Grand Challenges
Understanding Borders
Special Considerations
The project is one i intend on submitting for publication, and so I will not include it virtually, however, I do plan of doing a reading of a few pieces along with a talk on the current poetic-resistance movement.
Everyone's Daughter; a Collection of Resistance Poetry, and a Discussion of Contemporary Poetry-Resistance Embraced by Women of Colour
Alumni Auditorium A
Historically, poetry and resistance have gone hand in hand, and this is as true in North America today with contemporary poetry as it was during the Civil Rights movements of the fifties, the Beatiniks and their peace-preaching, and perhaps Canada's most well recognized poem, Flanders Fields, written as commentary on WW2. Breathing fresh breath into the lungs of resistance in this day and age is an influx of young women of colour, often with migrant backgrounds and access to rich and varied cultural influences, creating a body of contemporary poetry that is created by and for women. This act of solidarity and validation covers such topics as objectification, fetishization, racism and sexism experienced both within their ethnic communities and within the colonized nations they live in, acting as a rejection of and evolution from the academically idealized white, male, European poet. Examples of this include Rupi Kaur, Isha Loona, and Nayyira Waheed, all women of colour who have initiated yet another cycle of reclaiming poetry as a tool of healing and resistance, all with varied and unique use of literary technique. I have been working on a creative project that I believe adds to this growing body of resistance poetry, building off my own personal experiences as a young migrant Muslim woman, raised in Canada but hailing from Afghanistan, and the conflicting ideologies that have paradoxically influenced my identity, as well as the trauma resulting. Everyone's Daughter my collection of poetry, acts as a confession, an admission of weakness and a commitment to continued resilience, covering identity politics, body empowerment and a feminization of both religion and cultural identity, rejecting not only colonially imposed standards, but also ethno-patriarchal ones. Drawing from the rich culture of mythical romantic poetry in Afghan culture and the potent-yet-subtle minimalism of contemporary resistance poetry, I use multilingualism, and the language of love in reference to self, and embrace the influences that have contributed to my identity, while committing to striving for validation of that identity.