Social Justice and Environmental Inclusion Through Traditional Forms

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

This panel approaches the themes of social justice and inclusion through the interpretation of traditional genres like the epic and film. Beyond the significance of content, it explores the role of form in the reclaiming and rewriting of narratives historically devalued, like that of the woman, first nations and the animal. The panellists will refer to the manner in which different contemporary genres seek to redistribute credibility and democratize the spoken word to those historically denied, and to the current reconsideration of the civilizing process in Latin America not only of individuals but also the domestication of Nature. The questions that arise from these interdisciplinary papers revolve around the current critical revisiting of the place that human beings occupy in the natural world. From this viewpoint the panellists will broaden the consideration of justice and inclusion not only from a social stance but also an environmental one. Victoria Jara will analyse Gabriela Cabezón Camára´s rewriting of Martin Fierro from the perspective of a silenced woman and her journey towards an harmonious community. Vanessa Daniele de Moraes will contrast the concept of civilization to scatology in Una vieja historia de la mierda. Ailén Cruz will approach the contemporary Latin American use of bestiaries as a form of generic usurpation and subversion of the medieval tradition. Ross Swanson will analyse the threat that colonialism means to first nations inhabitants in Colombia trough the film El abrazo de la serpiente. And finally Marcos Moscoso considers the representation of women and nature in Amazonian literature.

Sub Track

• Literature and Culture: Interdisciplinary Approaches

Session Organizer

• Victoria Jara, University of Western Ontario

Chair

• Ailén Cruz

Discussant

• Constanza Burucua, University of Western Ontario

Individual Presentations

• The figure of fluidity: a reading of "Las aventuras de la China Iron" by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara - Victoria Jara, University of Western Ontario

• Renegade Beasts: Societal Subversion in Contemporary Bestiaries - Ailén Cruz

• Un sueño curador: "El abrazo de la serpiente" de Ciro Guerra (2016) - Ross K Swanson, University of Toronto

• A merda e o proceso civilizador - Vanessa De Moraes

• Ficciones de la mujer y la naturaleza en el tiempo de la extracción del caucho - Marcos Moscoso