Using Rice as a Matterphor: A Posthuman Approach to Constructing a Loopy We

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 8:00 am Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Critical, Decolonial, and Queer Theories (Table 4)

Abstract

Utilizing posthuman performative autoethnography, we narrate our compost stories of rice (Haraway, 2019), exploring its role as a symbol and embodiment of our becoming across diverse socio-cultural backgrounds. Our narratives uncover neglected affective connections and intergenerational bonds, challenging the mainstream academic discourses that little focus on the mixed becomings of non-Western identities. Rice, as a 'matterphor' (Spry, 2021), intertwines material and metaphorical meanings, shaping our individual and collective identities. This approach not only reclaims our narratives from colonial impacts but also highlights the importance of affective connectivity in decolonization, affirming storytelling's power to construct 'a loopy we of many surprising interlinked kinds' (Haraway, 2019, p.567).

Authors

• Ahreum Lim, Arizona State University

• Shannon Perry, Valdosta State University