The Old and the New: Churching a Secular Age from Solovyóv to Bulgakov

Michael Lee Miller, University of Cambridge

In the midst of exile from his native Russia in the mid-1930s, Fr Sergii Bulgakov identified his basic aspiration as an Orthodox theologian to be a ‘positive overcoming of Modernity’ - in fact, a continuation of the efforts of his great 19th-century inspiration, Vladimir Solovyóv, to reconstruct Christian thought and culture in the face of the unprecedented challenges posed by the Enlightenment and the era of revolutionary upheaval. But Bulgakov’s theological vision also involves a distinctive revision of Solovyóv’s programme, whose ‘residual Hegelianism’ continually threatens to level out speculative reason and mystagogical faith, progress in history and ‘the Kingdom not of this World’. Bulgakov refuses any such levelling: instead, he consummates the ‘apocalyptic turn’ Solovyóv had already commenced in the years immediately preceding his premature death in 1900. The resulting preference for the paradox of ‘antinomy’ over the closure of ‘dialectic’ comes to light in relation to four themes running through Bulgakov’s thinking in the decades falling between his rejection of Marxism and the commencement of his mature systematic-theological work in the 1930s: history, work, knowledge, and power.

The Literary and Human Legacy of Clara Sereni

Edited by Giulia Po DeLisle, University of Massachusetts, Lowell and Susan Briziarelli, Adelphi University

Clara Sereni lived an extraordinary life in extraordinary times. Born in Rome in 1946, she grew up in a prominent family of Jewish intellectuals whose influential role in Italian politics and in the anti-fascist resistance could not but inform Sereni’s own future social and political engagement. Coming of age during the turbulent Sixties, Sereni embraced the struggle for women’s rights, social justice, and political reform, championing Eduardo Galeano’s notion that utopia always stands at the horizon, and one must keep walking to reach it. Activist, journalist, writer, translator, but also musician, disability rights champion, home-maker, and wife; her multiple and often conflicting roles emerge in a rich and multifaceted writing, increasingly balanced between the public and the private, history with a capital “H”, and personal memoir. Her first major success, ‘Casalinghitudine (Keeping House)’, explores the juncture of the public and the personal as important historical moments merge with her workaday memories of cooking. Her remarkable historical novel ‘Il Gioco dei Regni (The Game of Kingdoms)’ traces her family history from the early 20th century through the post-war period, chronicling their personal lives and their involvement in Italian politics and Jewish intellectual life. Subsequent works such as ‘Taccuino di un’ultimista’ (‘Notebook of a Meek Woman’) and ‘Passami il sale’ (‘Pass me the Salt’) tackle the difficulties of negotiating life as a political figure, wife, and mother of a disabled son. In works such as ‘Eppure’ (‘And Yet’), ‘Le Merendanze’ (‘Afternoon Snacks’) and ‘Una storia chiusa’ (‘A Closed Story’), as well as ‘Il lupo mercante’ (‘The Mongering Wolf’) and ‘Via Ripetta 155’ (‘155 Ripetta Street’), she again intertwines private experiences and public circumstances, raising questions related to gender, class, disability, the elderly, and sustainability. This is the first volume that brings together the critical aspects of Clara Sereni’s work, providing a comprehensive view of the writer, the intellectual, the politician, and the woman. As we reflect on the 20th century, Sereni’s long-spanning writing career stands as an important document of its struggles, its conflicts, and, like Sereni herself, its enduring idealism.

Center and periphery: Twenty-first-century literature, cinema, media from Spain

Edited by Amparo Alpañés, Washington & Jefferson College

In a country where the richness of diverse cultures is often overshadowed by historical conflicts, this book delves into the complex relationship between the so-called “center” and “periphery” within Spain’s borders. Traditionally, the center has symbolized Castilian identity, while the periphery encompassed other regional cultures. But in today’s rapidly evolving social landscape, what do these terms really mean? This groundbreaking work reexamines the “center vs. periphery” paradigm through the lens of contemporary Spanish literature, cinema, and media. It poses critical questions about the existence and nature of a unified Spanish identity and investigates whether the tension between these cultural spheres persists. The book also challenges readers to consider which aspects—linguistic, gender, or other forms of identity—play the most significant role in this dynamic. Furthermore, it scrutinizes whether marginalized groups such as BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and differently-abled communities are relegated to the periphery in modern Spain. With no other published work focusing on these issues in 21st-century Spain, this book offers a fresh and nuanced perspective on cultural tensions that have shaped and continue to shape the nation. Its innovative approach makes it an indispensable reference for researchers and students in gender and women’s studies, Queer studies, media studies, Spanish literature, and language, as well as those exploring nationalism, separatism, race, and Blackness.

Navigating Boundaries: A Comprehensive Study of Postcolonial Theory and Literature

Shuchi Agrawal

'Navigating Boundaries: A Comprehensive Study of Postcolonial Theory and Literature' delves into the intricate area of postcolonial discourse, amplifying the voices emerging from the margins, challenging dominant narratives while exploring the themes of identity, mimicry, hybridity, power and resistance. Drawing from key theorists such as Edward Said, Homi K. Bhabha, Frantz Fanon, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Philip G. Altbach, Deepesh Chakravarthy, Chandra Talpade Mohanty, Gauri Viswanathan etc., this book offers a deep investigation into the multiple aspects of theoretical frameworks that shape postcolonial discourse. The analysis moves seamlessly from theory to literature, investigating how postcolonial literary texts navigate critical issues such as hybridity, mimicry, identity and resistance. A vital resource for students, research scholars, teachers, and anyone curious about the dynamic field of postcolonial theory and literature, this book calls readers to reflect, question, and join the discourse on the complex narratives that continue to shape our world. Generally, most of the postcolonial critiques explore linguistic imperialism, but this book makes a groundbreaking contribution by foregrounding the use of vernacular languages in literary texts and critical theory, positing that this is not just an aesthetic choice but a form of resistance and identity reclamation. In doing so, it echoes Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s call for linguistic decolonization and applies it in a broader, more diverse context, examining how the act of writing in local languages disrupts colonial power dynamics and fosters cultural preservation. While much of postcolonial criticism tends to centre on broad historical and political analysis, 'Navigating Boundaries' emphasizes the multiple voices coming from Africa, Caribbean and South Asia, offering a more intimate look at identity formation in postcolonial settings. Moreover, the book’s interdisciplinary approach strengthens its position in the field. By weaving in cultural studies, sociology, and psychological perspectives on gender, trauma, ethnicity and memory, it opens up fresh pathways, making the work relevant not just for literary scholars, but for those interested in a wider discourse on postcolonial theory.

A Vain Talent? The Question of Female Artistry in the Life and Work of Anne Brontë

Edited by Taten Shirley, Faulkner University

The main goal of this anthology is to aid Brontë scholars, along with undergraduate and graduate students alike, in their research of Anne Brontë, specifically in regards to the question of her artistry in her own life and the theme of artistry in her novel, 'The Tenant of Wildfell Hall', and her poetry. While there have been numerous publications on the Brontë sisters, there is the least amount of scholarship on Anne. Literary criticism of Anne is usually included within commentary on her sisters as a whole, and Anne is always discussed the least in the works. There are few, if any, anthologies on Anne’s writing, especially not one that focuses on artistry specifically. This anthology seeks to reduce the disparity of scholarship on Anne compared to her sisters. The chapters all focus on artistry in some aspect of her life or her writing. The first chapter focuses on Anne’s poetry and how it can be viewed as a therapeutic for her homesickness while at Thorp Green. Chapter two examines the ways in which Anne Brontë demonstrates that Agnes Grey’s pedagogic craft is one steeped in virtue but punctuated by limited authority, thus stressing the inherently artistic nature of education as aesthetic expression that ultimately remains subordinate to the power of individual autonomy. The third chapter examines Helen Huntingdon through the medieval lens of chivalric domestic violence. Chapter four discusses how Anne’s artistry impacted the characters she wrote, illustrating how Helen’s career as an artist relies on the commercial prospects that painting permits to investigate the problems and disagreements that occur when a woman endeavors to construct “a room of one’s own” outside the conventional societal circumstances. The fifth chapter explores how Brontë traces Helen Huntingdon’s moral and emotional development through her art and how characters of both genders interact with that art and how the acts of production and interpretation serve as an important dimension of her social critique and refusal to conform to gendered expectations of her own art. Then the sixth chapter examines Victorian women’s artistic skills and their modest craft of sketching imaginary kingdoms and painting realistic landscapes and (self-)portraits in Anne Brontë’s 'The Tenant of Wildfell Hall' (1848) and in Charlotte Brontë’s 'Jane Eyre' (1847), as the equivalents of unprofessional female writings expected in the nineteenth century. The seventh chapter explores the use of art as a means of escape from an unvirtuous marriage in 'The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.' Lastly, the eighth chapter takes a closer look at why exactly Anne is the least-known sister by contrasting the supernatural in Charlotte’s 'Jane Eyre' to the realism in Anne’s 'The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.'

Margins Speaking to Margins: Multinational Perspectives on African-American Literature

Edited by Rafael Miguel Montes and Ajit Kumar

African-American scholars in the United States and Western Europe continue to concentrate on African-American literary studies. The expanding interest in Caribbean publishing, which focuses on the intersection of Afro-Caribbean and African-American communities, indicates that there is an expanding academic readership for African-American narrative studies and other intellectual outputs from other countries. This collection features writers from underrepresented countries, including India, Tunisia, Romania, Morocco, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, and South Africa, discussing their perspectives on African-American narratives. The collection is rich in pedagogical vibrancy, as many academics teach African-American literature to national students. It explores how non-American contributors teach African-American narratives to a global audience, aiming to help academics envision teaching narratives outside their comfortability and understanding a culture they may not have contact with. This collection aims to provide meaningful re-readings of these works, recognizing the potential for change and promoting inclusivity in Women's Writings and Marginal Literature.

Adapting Alterity in Anglophone Scenarios

Edited by Giulia Magazzù, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy and Angela Sileo, University of Milan, Italy

Diversity and inclusion have not only gained key importance in our times, but they have also been at the core of a wide variety of academic subjects and heterogeneous research methodologies, with particular reference to linguistics, literature, and culture. This edited book seeks to explore how translation and adaptation deal with diversity and inclusion. The topics included in the volume are the following: Discrimination based on religious prejudice and gender, civil rights in synchronic and diachronic perspectives and different geo-political contexts; diversity/inclusion in education and (social) media; diversity/inclusion in art(s), music, movies and TV series; diversity/inclusion in language, literature, linguistics and translation; diversity/inclusion of style(s) and genre(s); identity and alterity; hegemonic vs lesser spoken languages; hate speech, memories and trauma. The book is divided into three sections and addresses topics such as the alienation and diversity of the translator in the audiovisual field, the adaptation of literary works (in the early modern period, the Victorian age, as well as contemporary works) dealing with the theme of the other, as well as gender issues, racism and LGBT+ rights in political and filmic discourse.

Casas Tomadas: Monsters and Metaphors on the Periphery of Latin American Literature and Media

Edited by Carlos A. González, Harvard University

'Casas Tomadas: Monsters and Metaphors on the Periphery of Latin American Literature and Media' examines how Latin American writers, filmmakers, and artists use monstrosity to reflect on marginalization, identity, and social trauma. This volume brings together close analyses of literature, film, and visual art from across Latin America, exploring how the monstrous symbolizes resistance to cultural, political, and historical oppression. Organized into four sections—Night Lights, In the Grip of Monsters, Echoes in the Darkness, and Sinister Spaces—the book offers case studies on works by Mariana Enríquez, Samanta Schweblin, Issa López, and others. Each chapter reveals how monsters, from mythic figures to supernatural landscapes, serve as potent metaphors for issues like queer and feminist activism, postcolonial haunting, and socio-political violence. Contributors engage with genres from horror and the Gothic to speculative fiction, situating monstrosity within Latin American experiences of violence, trauma, and resilience. Distinct for its interdisciplinary approach, 'Casas Tomadas' will serve as a key resource for students and researchers in Latin American Studies, Cultural Studies, and Gothic and Horror Studies. Its focused structure makes it ideal for classroom adoption, while its fresh perspectives on Latin American Gothic and the politics of monstrosity offer new insights for scholars in queer and postcolonial theory.

Cultivating Dialogue, Language, and Literacy for Social Justice in Teacher Education

Edited by Adam Devitt, California State University

Within sociocultural traditions, language, dialogue, and social literacies play an institutional role in learning and human development. Discourse practices, however, go far beyond the traditional focus of using speaking and listening to support the learning of content knowledge. Teacher discourse practices ought to promote critical literacies and linguistic practices, and promote anti-racism and social and environmental justice. Classroom discourse, however, is missing from teacher education programs on a large scale in these significant ways. Teacher educators need to understand the social and political policies, pedagogical role, and multitude of practices for helping pre-service teachers and teacher practitioners learn to acquire and facilitate quality discursive practices in K-12 schools and understand related pedagogy. This book, ‘Cultivating Dialogue, Language, and Literacy for Social Justice in Teacher Education’, offers a variety of models for integrating discourse practices and pedagogies into the field of teacher education, including pre-service teaching, professional development, and even critiques on policy and subsequent affordances and consequences that inhibit or promote the quality of teacher discourse and the purposes for which teachers utilize classroom discourse. I would recommend this book for teacher education programs as well as professional developers who work with pre- and in-service teachers. Additionally, I recommend this book for researchers committed not only to classroom discourse analysis, but to promote speaking and listening among teachers and students in ways that enhance learning and development.

Puerto Rican Spanish, Reggaetón Style! The (Socio)Linguistics of Urban Music

Edited by Wilfredo Valentín-Márquez, Millersville University et al.

Featuring in-depth studies of iconic reggaetón artists from Ivy Queen to Karol G, 'Puerto Rican Spanish, Reggaetón Style: The (Socio)Linguistics of Urban Music' is a groundbreaking collection that delves into the sociolinguistic intricacies of reggaetón. This volume offers innovative examinations of the genre through a linguistic lens, featuring a diverse range of methodologies and subdisciplines, including phonology, lexicography, semantics, and discourse analysis. The chapters explore the stylistic elements that define reggaetón, shedding light on the unique indexical value of sibilant and liquid consonants, the distinctive lexicon of reggaetón lyrics, and the ways in which artists use language to navigate—and challenge—racial and gender stereotypes in the construction of their performative identities. By bridging the gap between linguistic theory and popular music, this cutting-edge volume offers a fresh perspective on reggaetón’s cultural power. It is an invaluable resource for anyone working in fields like language, sociolinguistic analysis, performance studies, popular music, and Puerto Rican culture. 'Puerto Rican Spanish, Reggaetón Style: The (Socio)Linguistics of Urban Music' will not only resonate with researchers, but it will also captivate fans of reggaetón—from cultural and media critics to the everyday listener. With its thorough exploration of how language drives the global expansion and cultural significance of reggaetón, this text is essential for anyone interested in the intersections of language, music, and sociocultural identity.

Liberation through destruction / Liberación a través de la destrucción

From fantastic creatures to marginalized social groups / De criaturas fantásticas a grupos sociales marginados

Edited by Gabriela Schiappacasse, University of Pittsburgh and Ekaterina Kagan, Russell Sage College, New York

In the literature of Spain, Latin America, and the Caribbean, countless acts of redefinition emerge through destruction, a powerful symbol of breaking free from oppressive forces and embracing independence. Within these narratives, characters undergo a process of redefinition, enabling them to assert themselves and advocate for their own rights, ultimately generating a sense of empowerment. But this transformation isn’t confined to human beings alone, it also extends to magical creatures, demonstrating that all entities, human or otherwise, have the power to reshape their destinies through the redefinition of their identities. 'Liberation through destruction: From fantastic creatures to marginalized social groups' portrays literary worlds in which a rich tapestry unfolds, where witches, sorcerers, demons, and other fantastical beings coexist within contemporary, modern, and even colonial settings. These characters breathe life into these narratives, giving voice to those marginalized, alienated, or rejected by society. However, the presence of these diverse and extraordinary characters challenges the established hierarchies. When women are seen as witches or portrayed as autonomous figures, fear often follows. The dissident woman becomes a target simply for refusing to conform. Her defiance against masculine subjugation, and her pursuit of feminine liberation and economic autonomy, forces her into a liminal space between what is accepted and what is repudiated, between what is considered “normal” and what is “terrifying.” This “woman,” who breaks the rules and challenges societal norms, who evokes the heroines who took action, like Antigone and La Llorona, heroines who act decisively to navigate the blurred line between what is “fair” and what is “unfair,” between what is “right” and what is “wrong.” In doing so, they enter a space where they are both feared and revered, they embody a liminality that gives them the ability to rewrite the stories they occupy and enter a realm where they are both feared and revered. En la literatura española, latinoamericana y caribeña, son frecuentes los actos de redefinición que, a través de la destrucción, se presentan como un poderoso símbolo de liberación de las fuerzas opresivas y de la adopción de la independencia. Dentro de estas narrativas, los personajes a menudo atraviesan un proceso de redefinición que les permite afirmarse y abogar por sus propios derechos, acompañado de un proceso de empoderamiento. Sin embargo, esta transformación no se limita solo a los seres humanos, sino que también se extiende a criaturas mágicas, demostrando que todas las entidades, sean humanas o no, tienen el poder de redefinir su identidad y, por tanto, transformar su destino. 'Liberación a través de la destrucción: De criaturas fantásticas a grupos sociales marginados', despliega un rico tapiz de mundos literarios donde brujas, hechiceros, demonios y otros seres fantásticos coexisten en escenarios contemporáneos, modernos y coloniales. A través de estos personajes, se consigue dar voz a aquellos que han sido marginados, alienados o rechazados por la sociedad. Sin embargo, la presencia de estos personajes no pasa de largo, sino que desafía el status quo. La aparición en estas obras de mujeres que son (o son vistas) como brujas o figuras autónomas suele causar miedo a su paso. La mujer disidente no pasa de largo, sino que se convierte en objetivo simplemente por no conformarse con lo que le viene impuesto. Su búsqueda de la liberación femenina y la autonomía económica la obliga a ocupar un espacio ambiguo entre lo aceptado y lo repudiado, entre lo que se considera “normal” y lo que se considera “terrorífico”. Esta “mujer” que rompe las reglas y desafía las normas sociales, evoca a heroínas como Antígona y La Llorona; heroínas que actúan de manera autónoma, fijando sus propias normas y situándose en una línea difusa entre lo “justo” y lo “injusto”, entre lo “correcto” y lo “incorrecto”. Al hacerlo, entran en un espacio donde son tanto temidas como veneradas, un espacio donde tienen la capacidad de reescribir sus propias historias.

Vagabondage: A Timeless Reaction to the Malignancy of Western Civilization

Ian Cutler

This book concerns why the writers featured sought to exile themselves from mainstream society, not least by embracing the ‘natural’ world and an ascetic lifestyle. With the help of generous references from the 30-plus vagabond writers featured (plus many more contributions from secondary texts), Cutler has identified what he regards as the key features of the temperament and philosophy of those who rejected mannered, conventional society for a vagabond life. Each chapter addresses a different aspect of vagabondage under such themes as: wanderlust; the compulsion not to live a settled existence; asceticism; affinity with nature; the desire to retain the innocence (and mischief) of childhood; aloofness yet compassion for the rest of human-kind; and the rejection of formal education for knowledge experienced via their own senses. Refusing to be compromised by the grand narratives of religion, politics, law, nationalism, and convention, they regarded themselves as ‘citizens of the universe’ rather than slaves of what they regarded as geographical and political states artificially created by humans. Cutler attempts to rescue from obscurity, the philosophy first espoused by the ancient Cynics and now practiced—outside of any organized movement—by this disparate group of thinkers and writers, by presenting arguments and conclusions that are original to this work.

Simply to Be Americans? Literary Radicals Confront Monopoly Capitalism, 1885-1938

Joel Wendland-Liu, Grand Valley State University

'Simply to Be Americans?' delves into the transformative power of radical U.S. literature from the late nineteenth to early twentieth centuries, uncovering how writers boldly confronted the intertwined forces of Americanism, capitalism, racism, imperialism, and patriarchy. Through the works of visionaries like Lucy Parsons, Albert Parsons, and Sutton Griggs, this book reveals how early literary radicals challenged the foundations of monopoly capitalism and white supremacy, planting the seeds for a culture of resistance that would flourish in the decades to come. Exploring the speculative genius of Mark Twain, Jack London, Gertrude Nafe, and W.E.B. Du Bois, 'Simply to Be Americans?' showcases how allegory and satire became powerful tools to dismantle nationalism, imperialism, and racial hierarchies. While these pioneers often grappled with the complexity of these systems, a study of their work illuminated both the possibilities and limitations of early radical thought. As the twentieth century unfolded, U.S. writers embraced revolutionary internationalism, forging connections between domestic struggles and global anti-imperialist movements. Figures like John Reed and Hubert Harrison championed solidarity across borders, while the Russian Revolution and worldwide labor uprisings inspired a new wave of politically charged art. Writers like Genevieve Taggard and W.E.B. Du Bois called for literature that expresses urgent struggles against systemic oppression. In the 1920s and 1930s, luminaries like Mary Burrill, Jean Toomer, Langston Hughes, H.T. Tsiang, Josefina Niggli, Lola Ridge, and Dorothy West rejected assimilation, exposing American society’s capitalist and imperialist core. Their works vividly exposed the intersections of race, class, and gender, advocating for unity among the oppressed. 'Simply to Be Americans?' redefines the legacy of U.S. radical literature, tracing its evolution and celebrating its enduring impact. This groundbreaking study reveals how these writers critiqued their world and laid the foundation for future movements against exploitation and injustice, offering timeless insights into today’s struggles.

Arte y deporte en Hispanoamérica: La cultura deportiva en la literatura y el cine

Edited by Bruno Nowendsztern, Arizona State University and Ana Silvia Cervantes, Arizona State University

El deporte ha sido visto como una de las prácticas más importantes dentro de la constitución de muchas sociedades modernas. Así, tanto la práctica deportiva como la expectación generada en torno al deporte han derivado en dinámicas diversas que han conformado las identidades individuales y sociales. Dentro del mundo de habla hispana, específicamente, algunas narrativas ligadas a deportes han trascendido hasta construir identidades que tocan desde el plano social y político hasta el de la condición de género y las masculinidades. En este libro, titulado 'Arte y deporte en Hispanoamérica: La cultura deportiva en la literatura y el cine,' la meta es atender a los distintos espacios sobre la práctica y utilización del deporte dentro de las narrativas como la ficción literaria o el cine. Los trabajos de los investigadores que integran este volumen tienen como objetivo ofrecer un panorama contemporáneo sobre distintos aspectos de prácticas deportivas a lo largo de todo el mundo hispano: desde la literatura de fútbol en Sudamérica y la península española hasta los deportes y espectáculos de combate que forman parte de Norte y Centroamérica. Brevemente, las partes que componen el libro son la relación del fútbol con la identidad nacional, la relación del deporte con la creación de la identidad individual femenina y de inmigración, el análisis de personajes de ficción literaria que indagan en los pormenores del éxito y el fracaso personal dentro del deporte y, finalmente, algunos de los aspectos que trascienden más allá de lo que es la práctica o espectáculo deportivo, así como los recursos creativos que el lenguaje deportivo puede ofrecer a la literatura.

Queer Representation in Literature and Popular Culture

Edited by Dhishna Pannikot, National Institute of Technology Karnataka, India and Tanupriya, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Delhi NCR

'Queer Representation in Literature and Culture' offers a timely and critical exploration of how queerness is depicted, negotiated, and resisted across diverse literary and cultural texts. Bringing together interdisciplinary perspectives, the volume examines queer identities, desires, and politics through the lenses of decoloniality, and intersectionality. With contributions that span literature, cinema, digital media, and popular culture, this book foregrounds voices and narratives that challenge heteronormative, and patriarchal frameworks. Accessible yet scholarly, it is an essential resource for those interested in the intersections of gender, sexuality, culture, and power in contemporary discourse.

Mysteries and Dreams: the French in Oceania

Edited by Sylvie Largeaud-Ortega, University of French Polynesia, Tahiti, French Polynesia and Lorenz Gonschor, University of the South Pacific, Fiji

Oceania has been the source of mysteries and dreams from the first contact with Europe onwards, both for Indigenous Oceanians and outsiders. 'Mysteries and Dreams: The French in Oceania' is a collection of cross-disciplinary essays that explore the mysteries, allures and questionings raised by Indigenous Oceanians and French people about their mutually different worldviews, as well as their dreams, aspirations or disillusions as they navigate their relationships. With a strong focus on reciprocity, this original project analyzes diverse forms of French association with Oceania and the responses engendered by Indigenous communities, authors and artists as they reshape French narratives. Organized along three lines – history, literature and arts – this innovative lens offers unprecedented examinations of hitherto unexplored Oceanian and French figures involved in Oceania, bringing to the fore Marist missionary Xavier Montrouzier, influential politicians Charles de Varigny and Auguste Marques, playwrights and artists Pierre Gope and Greg Semu, and filmmakers Sima Urale and Édouard Deluc. It also offers fresh postcolonial approaches to better-known figures such as Paris Communard convicts Louis Michel and Henri Rochefort, prominent authors like Titaua Peu, Selina Tusitala Marsh, Teresia Teaiwa, Vilsoni Hereniko and Édouard Glissant, and widely-discussed artists like Yuki Kihara. It also critically engages individuals representing the colonial gaze, such as Pierre Loti, Allan Hughan and Paul Gauguin. Spanning across Oceania, from the Solomon Islands to Rapa Nui, Hawai‘i to Aotearoa-New Zealand, Tahiti and Kanaky-New Caledonia, it shows the wide impacts of the French on this vast region. Bridging together Anglophone and Francophone Oceania, this volume is an authoritative and enlightening reference to scholars and students in postcolonial Pacific Island studies, to Indigenous and non-Indigenous Oceanians wishing to discover interactive processes of change in their region’s past and present, and, more generally, to all outsiders who might, some day, have felt inclined to fall under the spell of an imaginary Oceania.

Estudios de (des)cortesía verbal en la historia del español: Actos de habla, modulación del discurso y formas de tratamiento

Edited by Andrzej Zieliński, Universidad de Szczecin, Polonia and Silvia Iglesias Recuero, Universidad Complutense de Madrid / Instituto Universitario Seminario Menéndez Pidal

Esta monografía colectiva profundiza en diferentes estrategias lingüísticas de (des)cortesía verbal documentadas en los períodos evolutivos tradicionalmente considerados en historia de la lengua española. Los diez capítulos que constituyen el libro, cuyos autores son especialistas en la materia, ofrecen novedosas aportaciones sobre el funcionamiento de diferentes actos de habla, formas de tratamientos o modulaciones del discurso, abordados desde diferentes enfoques y aplicados en diferentes modalidades del español. De esta manera, hace una notable aportación a la reconstrucción de la historia de la (des)cortesía en español -y en italiano, puesto que hay un capítulo dedicado al análisis histórico contrastivo- y de las construcciones lingüísticas empleadas en la interacción a lo largo de los siglos, pues el arco temporal abarcado cubre desde los siglos XII al XXI. En las perspectivas de análisis diacrónico adoptadas resultan cruciales la recontextualización sociocultural de la (des)cortesía de cada época y la consideración de los géneros discursivos empleados como corpus, de modo que cobran especial relevancia para el estudio de la pragmática la organización secuencial de las interacciones orales y escritas, la tradicionalidad discursiva de las construcciones analizadas y las funciones interpersonales y de gestión de la interacción a las que sirven. Esta perspectiva sociocultural y discursiva, propia de los estudios actuales en pragmática y (des)cortesía permite un análisis esclarecedor de los fenómenos lingüísticos y discursivos abordados.

La traducción como herramienta de empoderamiento: Hacia una gramaticalización de lo no binario en lengua española

Javier Arroyo Bretaño, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, España

El contexto sociohistórico contemporáneo, gracias a los feminismos de tercera y cuarta ola y al progreso de las teorías ‘queer’, ha favorecido la puesta en duda del binarismo sexo-género. Esto, junto a la revolución comunicativa de las dinámicas de web 2.0, ha provocado que proliferen identidades al margen de lo masculino y lo femenino, englobadas bajo el concepto de lo no binario. De la mano de estas identidades ha llegado su representación dentro y fuera del ámbito de la ficción, así como el debate en torno a su expresión gramatical. En ese sentido, mientras que en lengua inglesa existen entidades académicas como el diccionario ‘Merriam-Webster’ o el ‘Cambridge Dictionary’, que las aceptan y definen, la Real Academia Española se muestra contraria a recogerlas. El conflicto surge, pues, a la hora de traducir esas realidades identitarias al español, pues no hay consenso en torno a su representación lingüística. De esta manera, dado que diversos estudios avalan tanto la capacidad de la traducción para favorecer cambios sociológicos como la relación que esto guarda con el género, la traducción se nos presenta como una herramienta poderosa a la hora de favorecer la implementación de una gramática de lo no binario: dado que hay que traducirlas, urge debatir cómo representar estas identidades emergentes. Por tanto, a través de la importación de sus narrativas, la traducción puede favorecer la instauración de las identidades no binarias en lengua española.

The Insides of the Outsider: Women and the Poetics of Space and Place

Edited by Mariangela Ugarelli

When asked if being a woman had a negative impact on her ability to succeed as a writer, Argentine poet Alejandra Pizarnik stated that, even if not a physical impediment, being a woman in a patriarchal society is ‘a tragedy’ in itself. She followed this comment by saying: ‘What matters is what we do with our own tragedies’. Beyond sex assigned at birth, feminized bodies around the world share a similar phenomenological experience, which is dictated by a complicated relationship to space. Before setting pen to paper, the woman writer, a monster herself within patriarchal discourse, must confront the role society has set for her. For a writer in a feminized body, thus, the act of writing never begins with a tabula rasa but with a refusal and a challenge, an ushering out of the supposed ‘eden’ of the domestic. The question of the women-writer’s space is further exacerbated when considering matters of intersectionality. The poetics of space and place change within the confines of different geopolitical structures and their relations amongst each other. How do they shift when the center becomes de-centered and writing stems not from a place of political power but from the quieted voices of minor literature, queer and racialized bodies or subalternized latitudes? This volume will attempt to address these questions with input from a diverse group of scholars dealing with an equally diverse corpus. North and Latin America converse with Europe while ‘genre’ literature, minor literature and ‘gendered’ literatures take center stage. By taking into account a wide array of cultural objects, from poetry and children’s literature to Gothic tales and television shows, this collection of articles reveals the profound link between space and the female experience through the lens of art and literature.

Dante the Heretic: An Exploration of Cathar Beliefs in the Divine Comedy

Edited by Caterina Soresina Stoppani

The purpose of this book is to demonstrate that Cathar doctrine is the main source of Dante's poem and to encourage readers to approach this work with fresh eyes, beyond the interpretative frameworks that are often worn. With detailed references to Dante's text, persuasive arguments, lucid and concrete exposition, and a direct and easy-to-follow style, Maria Soresina progressively presents the links between the ‘Divine Comedy’ and Catharism, which she has been investigating since the end of the last century. The text analyzes Cathar characters with respect to the doctrine. The Cathars were Christians, but their beliefs were very different from those of the Catholic Church. The author analyzes their philosophy, followed by verses of Dante that demonstrate agreement with it and distance from the Catholic Church. In addition to the great doctrinal questions, there are many Cathar beliefs and customs, all of which, such as their being vegetarians, find precise confirmation in the verses of the ‘Divine Comedy’. The Cathars had only one sacrament, the ‘consolamentum’. A long chapter is dedicated to demonstrating that Dante's journey through Purgatory corresponds to the various phases of this sacrament, within which the figure of Beatrice has a particular meaning, a woman whom Dante probably never met and never loved. This text offers non-Italian-speaking readers the chance to engage with these interpretive theories, destabilizing the canonical criticism and forcing a re-examination of sources and historical context.