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Decoloniality, Feminism, and Aesthetics in Anglophone Caribbean and Indigenous North American Resistance Literature

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Decoloniality, Feminism, and Aesthetics in Anglophone Caribbean and Indigenous North American Resistance Literature LIBERATION TEXTUALITIES: DECOLONIALITY, FEMINISM, AND AESTHETICS IN ANGLOPHONE CARIBBEAN AND INDIGENOUS NORTH AMERICAN RESISTANCE LITERATURE Geoffrey MacDonald A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Program in English York University Toronto, Ontario September, 2018 © Geoffrey Scott MacDonald 2018 ii ABSTRACT Liberation Textualities recognizes the connections between personal, emotional, and spiritual writing by Anglophone Caribbean and Indigenous North American women and an expanded framework of resistance literature. I argue that resistance itself is in fact a broad tradition within which many texts, representations, and ideas intersect. While this project is sensitive to the profound historical, socioeconomic, and cultural differences that shape the realities of various communities in the Americas, it also recognizes a shared decolonizing impulse and a common interest in interior and domestic life, nurtured by similar gendered and racialized experiences in settler, colonial, and neocolonial societies. This dissertation argues that decolonial, feminist, and aesthetic practices, while still overlooked in most canons of resistance literature, provide the grounds upon which to revitalize and expand our understanding of what constitutes resistance and offer representation to the extensive range of unexpected and unsung resistant textualities. The study focuses on novels by Merle Collins and Lee Maracle, poems by Chrystos and Mahadai Das, and plays by M. NourbeSe Philip and Yvette Nolan. The Colour of Forgetting (1996) is read alongside Celia’s Song (2014) through the lens of spiritual resistance and marvellous realism. Not Vanishing (1988) and A Leaf in His Hear (2010) are analyzed for their representations of the body as a site of resistance. Lastly, Coups and Calypsos (2001) and Annie Mae’s Movement (1998) are examined for their focus on personal relationships and the dynamic interplay of resistance between individuals. This study looks at how different literary forms shift polemic and dominant understandings of resistance theory, whilst underscoring literary diversity as a principle value of resistance literature. The theoretical structure of the dissertation engages iii with foundational thinkers in resistance literature theory—Barbara Harlow, Frantz Fanon, and Selwyn Cudjoe—but complicates, updates, and deconstructs their contributions through multiple resistance theorists, including Emma LaRocque, Leanne Simpson, and Carole Boyce Davies. These women have challenged patriarchal nationalism within Caribbean and Indigenous North American political movements and societies, but their philosophical work extends to how literary critics engage with the idea of resistance and assign value to a text. These women, this dissertation asserts, redraw the boundaries of political and aesthetic engagement in literary studies, offering an important and revolutionary new path toward a comprehensive and pluriversal resistance literature that transcends a single movement, moment, or place. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The completion of this dissertation would not have been possible without the supportive network of family and friends who have stood by me through a project that is not designed to build personal relationships. Fatema, vashti, Narina, Gabi, Anita, Mandi, Paddy, Sarah, Janice, Nicole, Liz, and Jan—you have been understanding when I have been buried in writing, kept me in the lives of Aishani, Jalil, and Zev (and now Theo) as they grew up over these years, talked me through the down times, and showed your pride during the highs. I love you, always. And to my students: you have inspired me, sharpened my mind, and given me so much hope that literature truly can have an impact in this world. I was so fortunate to be reared by a powerful and beautiful mother who told me, before she left this world: go to grad school, focus on writing. She is always in my heart, and in my head, her wisdom, her humour, and her pain pushing me to write, to listen, to act, and to seek justice. I cannot express how much I owe to my aunt Sharon, my guardian angel and role model for teaching practice, who helped me survive the loss of my mother, and who urged me to be persistent about my education and instilled in me the necessity of treating people with an abundance of kindness. I need to thank Alan for supporting me at the beginning of this journey and reminding me that I could do this. This work is a testament to the forces of love in my life, to those who have been with me for a season, a reason, or a lifetime. The Ontario Graduate Scholarship and the Paavo and Aino Lukkari Human Rights Award provided essential funds at both the outset and the conclusion of this project. Lily Cho, Lesley Higgins, Leslie Sanders, and Tom Loebel convinced me early on to keep fighting the good fight, but to always “make it better,” and to understand that no rewrite is wasted time. v The supervision of this project was a gift from the universe undertaken by a dream team at York. Arun Mukherjee has given of her time to me since my days as an MA student in her Asian Canadian Literature class. I was drawn to her sharp commentary and her political integrity and never thought in a million years that someone of her stature would provide such steady and generous guidance. Vermonja Alston, from the moment I met her, has been a genuine mentor whose refusal to suffer fools or be dazzled by trends has been a formidable voice in the editing of my work. And finally, Andrea Davis. A warm and inspiring presence, she took me under her wing at my first Caribbean Studies conference—including attending my 8 am panel on the last day. She steadied my wavering soul at each stage of this process and reminded me over and over again why this field and this work are so important. The defence of this dissertation was a joyful experience, thanks to its chair Bonita Lawrence, the dean’s rep Eva Karpinski, and the external advisor Peter Kulchyski. Together with my supervisors, their scrutiny and our discussion was a fitting cap to a privileged six years. The privilege of doing this for a living cannot be overstated. Despite any hardships or the recurring self-doubt, I am truly blessed. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................................. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................................... iv PREFACE ..................................................................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 7 Critical Lenses .......................................................................................................................................... 9 Choices and Methods .............................................................................................................................. 12 The Discussion Ahead ............................................................................................................................ 18 CHAPTER 1 ............................................................................................................................................... 21 Including the Kitchen Sink: Theorizing Resistance Literature through Liberation Textualities ................ 21 Foundational Resistance Literature Thinkers ......................................................................................... 27 Theorizing Liberation Textualities: Feminism, Aesthetics, and Decoloniality ...................................... 45 Reconfiguring Resistance ....................................................................................................................... 53 Conclusions: Personalizing Intersectionality, Textualizing Liberation .................................................. 63 CHAPTER 2 ............................................................................................................................................... 65 Marvellous Counteractions: Spiritual Resurgence in Lee Maracle’s Celia’s Song and Merle Collins’s The Colour of Forgetting ................................................................................................................................... 65 Marvellous Realism: Refracting the Realist Polemic ............................................................................. 69 Decoloniality: From Spectral Presence to Spiritual Resurgence ............................................................ 76 Feminism: Conjuring Women, Dissipating Gender ................................................................................ 88 Aesthetics: Images and Incantations ....................................................................................................... 99 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................ 111 CHAPTER 3 ............................................................................................................................................. 114 Resituating Resistance: The Body Poetics of Mahadai Das and Chrystos ............................................... 114 Decolonial
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