English

Today I decide to use The Book of Salt for our next paper. I don't plan for papers as effectively as I could, but during our close reading I started thinking about different ways to talk across intersectionalities. Our current model under the tone of "radical social justice work" seems to undermine to practicality of discussing identities intersectionally. It isnt a practice designed by occaisional use, it is an continuous state we rarely name outloud. Discussing intersections between class, race, gender and sexuality through food is a great way to discuss the "meat" of your position using a sensation that can resonate with the reader in ways that pertain to them. There isnt one way to discuss our identities; even in relation to formulaic institutions.

           One of The Book of Salt’s major strengths is precisely Binh’s keen and astute consciousness of and keen observations of language and how its manipulation communicates, constructs, and distorts the “truth” of the stories we divulge or the way we choose to remember and make sense of the past.                                                                                                                

I left class today thinking about food on the one hand, and language on the other--our discussion about Bình's refusal to speak to define, and to use the material, the edible, in its place (even if only to name that he cannot define love that way). 

adding more to this in the morning when im not sleepy!!

I feel like it would have been helpful for me to be in class last week to have a bit more understanding of something that I thought I knew about. What is a close reading? From reading Anne's course notes, and all the articles that reject close readings as something that can be intersectional (if I understood correctly), I found that it contradicts my understanding of close readings and how I like to use them. For me, close readings lets you assume things that are not explicitly written (but also most of what I remember learning about close readings was about paintings and photography, visual art forms, so maybe that's why I have a different understanding.).

The Book of Salt, to me, feels like getting to have dessert first at a meal. I enjoyed delving into this book, and I love the vivid, sensitive, luxurious way Monique Truong describes her characters and their lives. The detailed descriptions of meals and surroundings always feel like a treat to read. In other books, I found it delightful to be able to savor such lengthy illustrations of the action playing out on the page.

our performance was fun! i was in a really good mood yesterday and came to class with that enthusiasm. intersectionality is cool and all, but, as has been said before x different ways, I'm focused on racialization as the first instance of self-consciousness... im also very much interested in what nyasa brought into class, the Combahee collective and the implications of black womanness... i see things in equations and diagrams a lot so in thinking about subjectivity-formation, I want to consider the black femme's position in a diagram of self-making... (thinking about achille mbembe and his essay "african modes of self-writing" which my sociologist friend, crystal shared with me this morning...)

When I hear the word "intersectionality" my mind jumps to thinking about activism and identity construction. The intersectinos of my identity are expressions of my intimate self, my personhood that isnt allowed to be expressed to the larger commuities. It never feels like the right time, or one experience negates the other instead of them being a collage of Olivia. Specific experiences are chosen in the time of their convenience to be consumed. The lack of intersectional discourse speaks to our conditined impulses to make the people around us small for X reason. It is abouut coping. Id love for there to be a world where there can be intersections that not only exist, but are accepted, able to be named, and also have a respected difference of perspective.

I left class today a little spread all over the place. I feel like having the topic of intersectionality is important, but I feel as if the way we came into was a little forced. I struggled with our activity simply because Im stuggling to even appreciate the text itself. I was hoping for more discussion about the characters themselves, before getting into how they function as intersectional bodies, which is a radical and political platform. Anne mentioned a comment about the black artists being percieved as making a statement rather than just art. I feel like the statement in Parks' novel is important and is definitiely present. However, Im struggling because I don't feel like I'm concentrating on the work and reading it as is. I agree with Franny's post a lot.

hello friends,

our take on intersectionality was through the theme of a Hole. Our first passage was from Willa Mae (P.30-31):