Glissant has written extensively in French about the colonial experience in the Caribbean. Britton (French, Aberdeen U., Scotland) situates Glissant within ongoing debates in postcolonial theory, making connections between his novels and theoretical work and the work of Frantz Fanon, Gayatri Spivak, Homi Bhanha, and Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Focusing on language and subjectivity, discussion moves between analysis of Glissant's theoretical work and detailed readings of his novels. Major themes central to his writing, such as the reappropriation of history, standard and vernacular language, and the colonial construction of the Other, are addressed. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
This book reproduces the texts of four lectures, followed by discussions, and two interviews with Lise Gauvin published in Introduction à une poétique du divers (1996); and also four further interviews from L’Imaginaire des langues (Lise Gauvin, 2010). It covers a wide range of topics but key recurring themes are creolization, language and langage, culture and identity, ‘monolingualism’, the ‘Chaos-world’ and the role of the writer. Migration and the various different kinds of migrants are also discussed, as is the difference between ‘atavistic’ and ‘composite’ communities, the art of translation, identity as a ‘rhizome’ rather than a single root, the Chaos-World and chaos theory, ‘trace thought’ as opposed to ‘systematic thought’, the relation between ‘place’ and the Whole-World, exoticism, utopias, a new definition of beauty as the realized quantity of differences, the status of literary genres and the possibility that literature as a whole will disappear. Four of the interviews (Chapters 6, 7, 8 and 9) relate to particular works that Glissant has published: Tout-monde, Le monde incrée, La Cohée du Lamentin, Une nouvelle région du monde. Many of these themes have been explored in his previous works, but here, because in all the chapters we see Glissant interacting with the questions and views of other people, they are presented in a particularly accessible form.
This exciting, challenging book covers a wide range of subject matter, but all linked together through the key ideas of diversity and ‘Relation’. It sees our modern world, shaped by immigration and the aftermath of colonization, as a multiplicity of different communities interacting and evolving together, and argues passionately against all political and philosophical attempts to impose uniformity, universal or absolute values. This is the ‘Whole-World’, which includes not only these objective phenomena but also our consciousness of them. Our personal identities are not fixed and self-sufficient but formed in ‘Relation’ through our contacts with others. Glissant constantly stresses the unpredictable, ‘chaotic’ nature of the world, which, he claims, we must adapt to and not attempt to limit or control. ‘Creolization’ is not restricted to the Creole societies of the Caribbean but describes all societies in which different cultures with equal status interact to produce new configurations. This perspective produces brilliant new insights into the politicization of culture, but also language, poetry, our relationship to place and to landscapes, globalization, history, and other topics. The book is not written in the style conventionally associated with essays, but is a mixture of argument, proclamation, and poetic evocations of landscapes, lifestyles and people.
This groundbreaking book analyzes the theme of community in seven French Caribbean novels in relation to the work of the French philosopher Jean-Luc Nancy. The complex history of the islands means that community is often a central and problematic issue in their literature, underlying a range of other questions such as political agency, individual and collective subjectivity, attitudes towards the past and the future, and even the literary form itself. Celia Britton here studies a range of key books from the region, including Édouard Glissant’s Le Quatrième Siècle, Patrick Chamoiseau’s Texaco, Daniel Maximin’s L’Ile et une nuit, and Vincent Placoly’s L’eau-de-mort guildive, among others.
This book links postcolonial theory with structuralism and poststructuralism to show how analysis of the textual illuminates the political and ideological positions of French Caribbean writers.
In these essays, three of which have not previously been published, Celia Britton discusses a variety of texts from the point of view of their engagement with the cultural and political issues that have been prominent in Martinique and Guadeloupe from the mid-twentieth century to the present day. These texts range from the ethnographic writings of Michel Leiris to the novels of Maryse Condé, Joseph Zobel, Ernest Pépin and Edouard Glissant; Glissant's essays are also considered, as are those of René Ménil. Thus the question of cultural identity, for example, is central to Glissant's work but also, from a rather different point of view, to that of Leiris and Ménil. Other topics covered include racial difference and the politics of race, in the novels of Condé and Pépin; gender (Condé and Pépin); the impact of globalization and, conversely, the specificity of place (Glissant and Pépin); the legacy of slavery (Condé); and political action (Ménil, Glissant, Condé). Celia Britton is Emeritus Professor of French and Francophone Literature at University College and a Fellow of the British Academy. Earlier in her career she worked on the Nouveau Roman and French cinema. For the past thirty years she has published widely on French Caribbean literature, thought and culture.
Freud is often accused of eurocentrism - of making unjustifiable generalizations on the basis of European family structures. Although French Caribbean intellectuals such as Fanon, Cesaire and Glissant have joined in these criticisms, they have also made strikingly positive use of psychoanalysis. Much intellectual energy has been invested in notions of repression, the Oedipus complex and the psychoanalytic cure, while at the same time Freudianism has been no less vigorously criticized for its political quietism and its potential as a means of social control. Thus Freudian theory, and the controversies it arouses, remains a surprisingly persistent cultural element. The crucial issue is the link between the unconscious and race. In this groundbreaking study, Britton looks at the different ways in which Freudian psychoanalysis has been incorporated into arguments about racial identity and difference in the French Caribbean.
The Nouveau Roman writers have been actively involved in the theory as well as the practice of fiction, participating in a series of vigorous debates on issues such as the political significance of literature, formalism and structuralism, the status of the author, etc. This study discusses Robbe-Grillet, Sarraute, Simon, Butor and Ricardou, analysing both the interaction of their own theory and fiction and their reactions to the work of figures such as Sartre, Barthes, Lvi-Strauss, Sollers and Kristeva.
This is a major study of the Nobel prize-winning French novelist Claude Simon. Simon is a complex figure: for all that he writes in a distinctively modern fictional tradition (exemplified by Proust, Joyce, Beckett and Robbe-Grillet), his novels contain strong elements of visual representation alongside a very different king of free-floating, anti-realist writing.
This is a major study of the Nobel prize-winning French novelist Claude Simon. Simon is a complex figure: for all that he writes in a distinctively modern fictional tradition (exemplified by Proust, Joyce, Beckett and Robbe-Grillet), his novels contain strong elements of visual representation alongside a very different king of free-floating, anti-realist writing.
Glissant has written extensively in French about the colonial experience in the Caribbean. Britton (French, Aberdeen U., Scotland) situates Glissant within ongoing debates in postcolonial theory, making connections between his novels and theoretical work and the work of Frantz Fanon, Gayatri Spivak, Homi Bhanha, and Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Focusing on language and subjectivity, discussion moves between analysis of Glissant's theoretical work and detailed readings of his novels. Major themes central to his writing, such as the reappropriation of history, standard and vernacular language, and the colonial construction of the Other, are addressed. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
This groundbreaking book analyzes the theme of community in seven French Caribbean novels in relation to the work of the French philosopher Jean-Luc Nancy. The complex history of the islands means that community is often a central and problematic issue in their literature, underlying a range of other questions such as political agency, individual and collective subjectivity, attitudes towards the past and the future, and even the literary form itself. Celia Britton here studies a range of key books from the region, including Édouard Glissant’s Le Quatrième Siècle, Patrick Chamoiseau’s Texaco, Daniel Maximin’s L’Ile et une nuit, and Vincent Placoly’s L’eau-de-mort guildive, among others.
The Nouveau Roman writers have been actively involved in the theory as well as the practice of fiction, participating in a series of vigorous debates on issues such as the political significance of literature, formalism and structuralism, the status of the author, etc. This study discusses Robbe-Grillet, Sarraute, Simon, Butor and Ricardou, analysing both the interaction of their own theory and fiction and their reactions to the work of figures such as Sartre, Barthes, Lvi-Strauss, Sollers and Kristeva.
This exciting, challenging book covers a wide range of subject matter, but all linked together through the key ideas of diversity and ‘Relation’. It sees our modern world, shaped by immigration and the aftermath of colonization, as a multiplicity of different communities interacting and evolving together, and argues passionately against all political and philosophical attempts to impose uniformity, universal or absolute values. This is the ‘Whole-World’, which includes not only these objective phenomena but also our consciousness of them. Our personal identities are not fixed and self-sufficient but formed in ‘Relation’ through our contacts with others. Glissant constantly stresses the unpredictable, ‘chaotic’ nature of the world, which, he claims, we must adapt to and not attempt to limit or control. ‘Creolization’ is not restricted to the Creole societies of the Caribbean but describes all societies in which different cultures with equal status interact to produce new configurations. This perspective produces brilliant new insights into the politicization of culture, but also language, poetry, our relationship to place and to landscapes, globalization, history, and other topics. The book is not written in the style conventionally associated with essays, but is a mixture of argument, proclamation, and poetic evocations of landscapes, lifestyles and people.
Freud is often accused of eurocentrism - of making unjustifiable generalizations on the basis of European family structures. Although French Caribbean intellectuals such as Fanon, Cesaire and Glissant have joined in these criticisms, they have also made strikingly positive use of psychoanalysis. Much intellectual energy has been invested in notions of repression, the Oedipus complex and the psychoanalytic cure, while at the same time Freudianism has been no less vigorously criticized for its political quietism and its potential as a means of social control. Thus Freudian theory, and the controversies it arouses, remains a surprisingly persistent cultural element. The crucial issue is the link between the unconscious and race. In this groundbreaking study, Britton looks at the different ways in which Freudian psychoanalysis has been incorporated into arguments about racial identity and difference in the French Caribbean.
It was the author's own experience of fictional autobiography that led Celia Hunt serendipiditously to appreciate that such writing could be therapeutic. She noticed, for example, and this was subsequently echoed in many of her students' experiences, a beneficial psychological change - and increased inner freedom, greater psychic flexability (perhaps the key to creativity and psychological health), a stronger sense of personal identity. This book tells us about the hows and whys of such therapeutic change.' - AutoBiographyJournal.com 'A critical examination of the therapeutic possibilities of autobiographical fiction that draws on perspectives from both psychoanalytic and literary studies.' - The Journal Of Critical Psychology, Counselling and Psychotherapy Therapeutic Dimensions of Autobiography in Creative Writing brings together theory and practice from psychoanalysis, literary and cultural studies and the growing field of creative writing studies. It highlights the importance of autobiographical writing not only as an opening into fiction writing, but also as a powerful therapeutic tool. Celia Hunt discusses how autobiographical fiction can be used in therapeutic work by art therapists, psychotherapists and creative writing tutors, as well as in personal development by writers of any kind. She draws up guidelines for a successful course on autobiography and creative writing, and presents case studies and practical ideas for writing about the self. She shows how writing autobiographical fiction can help people to explore significant events and relationships in their lives. Finding a writing voice in this way clarifies and strengthens the writer's sense of identity, leading to a fuller realisation of his or her potential in life.
Arising from a research project conducted over two years, Transformative Learning through Creative Life Writing examines the effects of fictional autobiography on adult learners’ sense of self. Starting from a teaching and learning perspective, Hunt draws together ideas from psychodynamic psychotherapy, literary and learning theory, and work in the cognitive and neurosciences of the self and consciousness, to argue that creative life writing undertaken in a supportive learning environment, alongside opportunities for critical reflection, has the power to transform the way people think and learn. It does this by opening them up to a more embodied self-experience, which increases their awareness of the source of their thinking in bodily feeling and enables them to develop a more reflexive approach to learning. Hunt locates this work within recent developments in the influential field of transformative learning. She also identifies it as a form of therapeutic education arguing, contrary to those who say that this approach leads to a diminished sense of self, that it can help people to develop a stronger sense of agency, whether for writing or learning or relations with others. Topics covered include: Creative writing as a tool for personal and professional development The transformative benefits and challenges of creative writing as a therapeutic activity The relationships between literary structures and the processes of thinking and feeling The role of cognitive-emotional learning in adult education Collaborative learning and the role of the group This book will interest teachers in adult, further and higher education who wish to use creative life writing as a tool for learning, as well as health care professionals seeking art-based techniques for use in their practice. It will also prove useful to academics interested in the relationship between education and psychotherapy, and in the theory and practice of transformative learning. Additionally, it will appeal to writers seeking a deeper understanding of the creative process.
This book examines the potential of creative writing as a therapeutic tool. Illustrating a wide range of approaches, the contributors provide an introduction to thinking about creative writing in a personal development context with suggestions for further reading, and look at the potential evolution of therapeutic creative writing in the future.
The witty and enchanting Nice series, from the well-loved actress and Sunday Times-bestselling author Celia Imrie 'Utterly delicious in every way' Joanna Lumley Not Quite Nice Nice Work (If You Can Get It) A Nice Cup of Tea In the beautiful town of Bellevue-sur-Mer, tucked between glitzy Monte Carlo and the plush red carpets of Cannes, join Theresa, Carol, William, Benjamin and Sally: five retired expats whose adventures in love, friendship and business are never short of laughs - or disaster!
Involving citizens in policy decision-making processes - deliberative democracy - has been a central goal of the Labour government since it came to power in 1997. But what happens when members of the public are drawn into unfamiliar debate, with unfamiliar others, in the unfamiliar world of policy making at national level? This book sets out to understand the contribution that citizens can realistically be expected to make. Drawing on the lessons from an ethnographic study of a public involvement initiative in the health service - the Citizens Council of NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) - the book explores the practical realities behind the much-quoted faith in 'deliberation' that underpins so many models of public involvement and presents the analysis of sixty four hours of video and audiotape capturing a warts-and-all picture of deliberation in action. It sets deliberative participatory initiatives within a broad inter-disciplinary context and challenges politicians, policy-makers and academics to develop more realistic approaches to democratic innovation. Citizens at the centre will be of interest to academics and students in social policy, sociology, politics, health, social care, economics, and public administration and management. It will also be valuable to anyone involved in the policy making process, not only in the UK, but also in Europe, the USA and other countries where deliberative democracy is being implemented or discussed.
For Home and Country examines the propaganda that targeted noncombatants on the home front in the United States and Europe during World War I. Cookbooks, popular magazines, romance novels, and government food agencies targeted women in their homes, especially their kitchens, pressuring them to change their domestic habits. Children were also taught to fear the enemy and support the war through propaganda in the form of toys, games, and books. And when women and children were not the recipients of propaganda, they were often used in propaganda to target men. By examining a diverse collection of literary texts, songs, posters, and toys, Celia Malone Kingsbury reveals how these pervasive materials were used to fight the war's cultural battle.
Against a background of changing patterns of academic labour in the UK and other English speaking countries, this book draws on empirical research which identifies a shift towards more open-ended approaches to roles and careers in higher education. This has resulted in what the authors describe as 'concertina-like' careers, in which individuals stretch the spaces and timescales available to them. Underpinning this process, the concept of 'career scripts' shows how the career paths of individuals may be informed by formal career structures (Institutional scripts) but also by activity associated with professional practice (Practice scripts), and by personal strengths, interests and commitments (Internal scripts). This has led to new forms of activity, within both the formal institutional economy, including promotion criteria and prescribed career pathways, and the informal institutional economy, represented by personal interests and initiatives, professional relationships and networks. The 'concertina' process enables individuals to address a series of common misalignments and disjunctures within formal institutional economies, including those associated with disciplinary and departmental affiliations, job profiles, progression criteria, and work allocation models. The book also explores directions that academic careers may take in the future, and how institutions might adapt to these changes.
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