The recurring theme in most of my ideas is using history as a catalyst for making interdisciplinary fields more accessible.
My interests: history, bibles, contemporary discourse on social matters, anthropology, graphic design & typographic history, book history, history of writing etc.
4 possible ideas:
1 Week 11 from GDE710, this was a week where I truly realised the power of unpacking myths when dragging out historical obsolete norms into the light of contemporary discourse. This idea would have a semiotic starting point. During this break I started reading Stuart Hall’s book “Representation” which would provide an excellent foundation for this. So to conclude: unpack a myth with history+contemporary discourse.
2 Week 12 was almost like an extension of Week 11 for me. I took a clear feminist approach where in the end I claimed to have invented a recipe for feminist manifests: ‘historic woman and her context+a contemporary woman at the frontier, on the edge of discourse, wording a quote, appropriate to the historic persona.’ Considering I also discussed a further application of this, it would definitely be an appropriate project! But should I perhaps move the context, the first one was a postern–perhaps if it turns into a series, a context that can present that sort of continuity would be appropriate. Book, magazine?
3 A project I often think and dream about is to make a book (and exhibition perhaps) on historical heartbreaks that changed the path of history. That feels like quite a big project though. Can I possibly make an extract, like a spread from that book and see if it is something I would like to explore further in the future? As seen in GDE710, week 10, I love investigating a good heartbreak. Possible people would be, well definitely Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon’s divorce that fully invited the reformation to England. Or Charlemagne and Desiderata–a good idea considering Charlgemagne’s connection to one of the most pivotal moments in typographic history.
4 In week 12 during GDE710 I looked at the Christian creation story and Adam & Eve, so perhaps I can look at another creation story, for example Enuma Elish. Last week I read the first half of a book called “Queer Ancient Ways–a decolonial exploration” which gave some new insight to the Enuma Elish. As well I really love Cuneiform from a material perspective, perhaps it would be possible to find an appropriate visual interpretation of that in a contemporary context, without appropriating? To avoid approaching this in a harmful way it could be possible to find a theme not bound to temporality and explore several eras and cultures from that theme? For example when discussing Enuma Elish in “Queer Ancient Ways”, motherhood is a strong theme, which is also one of the more dividing themes in feminism. Could that be explored from both ancient and contemporary views? For this one I would probably work with a fanzine, as it is an allowing editorial form with clear connections to disseminating “activism”. This is the most risky idea, but the one I am most curious about.
One of the main takeaways from my feedback from the previous module was to embrace risk and be braver–I interpreted this as if it is meant in a practical aspect. Like how I work, so that I don’t resort to my more reserved outcomes. This is something I will consider when moving on with the chosen idea. To have a bit of courage when investigating, find inspiration that perhaps can lead the way in that manner? But also to try out something where I don’t have all the knowledge already and use the project as a way to gain insight, intellectually and practically.
Brief, first attempt
Background and overview
The Enuma Elish is the Babylonian creation myth. This epic is made on seven cuneiform tablets, with their rich complexity. Eleanor Robson writes at the end of her essay in “A companion to the history of the book” that despite the fact that Cuneiform culture died out nearly two millenia ago, academic study is less than two centuries old: “we are only just beginning to understand it”. The Enuma Elish cuneiform tablets were recovered from the Library of Ashurbanipal in Nineveh in 1849 by the English Archeologist Austen Henry Layard. It was then translated and interpreted by representatives within a Western, modern, Christian and patriarchal context.
In “Queer Ancient Ways”, Zairong Xiang investigates the possibilities of a biased translation that could have resulted in a distorted interpretation of the epic. The discussion focuses on the goddess Tiamat in different themes explored by Zairong Xiang from an interdisciplinary approach, unraveling several new branches of interpretations. One of the central themes is Tiamat’s motherhood and monstrosity.
The division of Tiamat into either a monster or mother, as well rendering these two opposites as incompatible beings, comes from colonial categorical logics which can also be translated as a contemporary misogynist logic of reducing the complexity of women, and in this case their motherhood. Is the depiction of mothers as simple, caring and mild beings an obsolete regime of truth? Foucault said: “in certain historical moments, some people had more power to speak about some subjects than others”. That can involve constructing truths and narratives, for example the translation and following interpretation of Enuma Elish in the West to fit our culture’s constructed framework–a narrow one at that.
The project question
In what ways can fusions between past and present be used to push the boundaries of contemporary decolonial and feminist discourse?
Aim, objective and critical context
The primary aim is to curate and create a (visual) context, a fanzine as a platform for probing specific feminist themes using a historical or thelogical person/event as katalyst. To raise discussion and highlight how the harmful construction of a past still echoes the narrative of today’s discourse.
The Fanzine aims to use Tiamat from Enuma Elish as a katalyst into an investigation on the complexity of contemporary motherhood from different feminist perspectives. No answers or conclusions will be provided, as this is a foundation for discussion and critical reflection.
This fanzine is founded on the grounds of a feminist pedagogy, similar to the critical pedagogy discussed by Paulo Frerie in “Pedagogy of the oppressed”, where it seeks to raise awareness of power structures and how to recognize oppression. To provide these interdisciplinary connections to re-allocate the power of the narrative is one of the more practical aspects of this pedagogy.
The objectives are to show how energetic and meaningful a discourse can be when having an interdisciplinary approach in collaborative form. To give hints that our perception of history is constructed and dictated by an elevated few, and that many of our common norms and perceptions of society, raises the question of the possibilities of dismantling them.
“To become aware of, question and transgress ”natural” boundaries of inclusion and exclusion is the unifying goal of critical thought. Pushing back the horizons of what we will admit to our discourse is essential to preserving our humanity against hierarchy” (Jackson, p.268). Pushing these boundaries is how we may reach a new regime of truth.
Audience
The audience for this is people interested in the possibilities of cross connecting academic fields. I imagine the target audience is working, researching or interested in one of the fields present in this fanzine. That can be gender studies, anthropology, comparative literature, feminist theology, history etc.
Women and non-binary people ages 25-50, studying or working in Academic Departments that have an outspoken agenda to move higher education towards a pluriverse.
Final outcome
The final outcome is a Fanzine. The reason is to have an allowing context for some heavy theoretical, yet also fluid subjects. The fanzine has an explorative approach, to avoid dictating any truths but rather provide a platform for discussing possible connections. The use of a fanzine comes from its tradition as a vehicle for reallocating power through disseminating activist ideas.
Final brief
In what ways can fusions between past and present be used to deploy
an exploration on feminist discourse?
Background
One of our civilizations oldest creation stories, Enuma Elish, has been interpreted through a constructed narrative with its roots in the Enlightenment, and later reinforced during the 19th century. A suggested distorted interpretation of the epic is the one of the goddess Tiamat’s motherhood and monstrosity. Upon researching the ascribed role as a monster, a constructed, harmful narrative about motherhood reveals itself, stretching 400 years into our present.
Aim
→ probe a specific feminist theme using a historical or theological person/event as catalyst.
→ use fragments on the subject from different academic disciplines as navigational nodes.
→ highlight how harmful constructions of the past still echoes the narrative of today’s discourse.
Objective
→ re-allocate the power of the narrative, by providing interdisciplinary connections.
→ encourage an energetic and meaningful discourse based on an interdisciplinary approach in collaborative form
Audience
→ feminists, ages 25-50
→ working, researching or interested in one of the academic disciplines
→ interested in the possibilities of cross connecting these disciplines
Final outcome
A visual context that displays a narrative with fragments on the theme of monstrosity and motherhood, ranging from Enuma Elish → Enlightenment → 19th century → 21st century.
Resources and possible content
Xiang, Zairong. 2018. Queer Ancient Way–A decolonial exploration. Punctumbooks.
Xiang, Zairong. 2018. Below Either/Or: Rereading Femininity and Monstrosity Inside Enuma Elish.
Almond, Barbara. 2010. The Monster Within: The Hidden Side of Motherhood. University of California Press.
Yalom, Marilyn. 1985. Maternity, mortality and the literature of madness. University Park : Pennsylvania State University Press.
Sjoberg, Laura. Mothers, monsters and whores: Womens violence in global politics.
Freire, Paulo. 2017. Pedagogy of the oppressed. Penguin Classics.