Telling Our Stories
Asynchronous Session
“More Needed”: The Enduring Power of Literature
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Lori Newcomb
In his 1962 Nobel Prize acceptance speech, John Steinbeck asserted that literature is born of “human need,” and the passage of time serves only to make literature “more needed.” For Steinbeck, the purpose of literature and the charge of its authors is to hold up a mirror to readers by simultaneously depicting humanity’s faults alongside its capacity for greatness. The purpose of this mirror is not to condemn humanity but to give it an opportunity for self-reflection and improvement. In current times, during which banned and challenged books are still an issue, an underlying cultural sensibility suggests that much literature, precisely because of its frequent exposure of the faults of humanity, is not aimed toward improving us but instead is something for us somehow to be protected from. This paper takes the opposite viewpoint. I discuss the ways in which literature, including that which explores the darkest sides of humanity, has a special power to uplift us. I investigate the trajectories in which literature has served Steinbeck’s vision in the more than 60 years since he made his remarks, and I amplify his position that literature is “more needed” today than ever before.
Featured Europe and Nomadism in the Travel Journals of Andrzej Stasiuk: Aestheticization of Disintegrated World or Searching for Identity
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Malgorzata Fabrycy
Nowadays considered as one of the most important Polish writers, Andrzej Stasiuk is an author of numerous travel journals in which he describes his journeys to the countries of Eastern Europe. The writer’s fascination with the nomadic lifestyle of the gypsies and the countries he travelled through, characterized by a certain economic delay, become an opportunity to ask important questions regarding the changes that have taken place in the contemporary world, driven by the capitalism, about differences and similarities and finally about the national identities (his own et the others’). Firstly, this work analyses the role that travels play in Stasiuk’s prose, as well as the role of the mythology he creates around the lifestyle of the nomads and the meanings he attributes to them (freedom, space, independence of the concept of nationality, lack of borders). In second place, the author focuses on the geographical areas visited by the Polish writer and their way of functioning, standing in opposition to the way of life and the values of Western countries. The author will show, based on Milan Kundera's essay, that an East-West opposition of identities is being created in the works of Stasiuk. Finally, the present paper introduces the effects of such constructed literary world on the concept of national identities, among others on the image of Polish identity created by Stasiuk, built at the same time on opposition and similarity to the Other.
Featured Typography Tells a Different Story: Transforming Communication Through the Narrative Power of Typographic Forms
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
İpek Köprülülü
Typography is usually seen simply as a tool for conveying textual meaning, yet its power as a visual language capable of telling stories is often overlooked. This research challenges traditional views by showing how typography can go beyond just conveying words, becoming a medium for emotional expression that crosses language and cultural boundaries. Using Sylvia Plath’s “The Bell Jar”as a case study, the project explores how a single sentence – five words and eleven letters – can be reimagined through typography to express the emotional journey of the novel. Through a combination of analog and digital techniques, these visual treatments offer new ways to interpret and experience the text, challenging conventional literary practices. Typography here becomes more than just text; the emphasis on its visual aspects allows the meanings embedded in the forms to tell their own story, connecting across languages and cultures. The findings show how typography can reshape communication, allowing for deeper emotional understanding and enriched literary interpretation. This research opens new avenues in the humanities, highlighting typography’s potential to evolve and engage in an increasingly interconnected world.
Thinking with Family Photographs as Method
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Ozge Baykan Calafato
In this paper, I consider family photographs as an integral part of decolonial pedagogies, emphasizing their significance for transdisciplinarity and transhistoricity. My research examines the processes of Turkish identity and citizenship formation through self-representations in family photographs from the 1920s and 1930s. Drawing on this work and the methodology of cultural analysis, I have developed a teaching practice in which students bring one or more family photographs of their choice to class. This exercise allows them to engage with a series of questions related to the course topic or a specific class theme, exploring issues such as personal and collective memory, social and cultural identity, citizenship and non-citizenship, mobilities, Eurocentric modernity, and decoloniality. This practice also encourages students to reflect on the notions of ‘family photograph’ and ‘family’ itself. The photograph may be either a digital object or a print, prompting discussions on its materiality. We also consider its audience and circulation, examining how these may have changed over time. Additionally, this engagement with family photographs can be incorporated into coursework through written assignments. Recognizing the various scales of intimacy and care embedded in this practice, I argue that working with family photographs offers a compelling method for developing new decolonial pedagogies adaptable to diverse educational contexts.
