School of Culture and Communication - Theses
Permanent URI for this collection
Search Results
1 - 1 of 1
-
ItemWriting Cambodia: representations of the ‘other’ in contemporary short fiction and ‘The Real Cambodia’( 2011)The critical component of this thesis, ‘Writing Cambodia: Representations of the ‘other’ in contemporary short fiction’, is concerned with the problematic relationship between two of the dominant discourses of otherness theory –postcolonial and psychoanalytic theory – and the practice of creative writers drawn to topics of otherness. Focusing on ten short stories about Cambodia by Cambodian and non-Cambodian writers – Anonymous, Soth Polin, Bith Pollie, Brian Fawcett, Joel Arnold, Santel Phin, Madeline Thien, Sharon May and Chakriya Phou – I argue that theories that emphasise ‘contact’ allow for a more productive intercultural analysis of representation. Using Mary Louise Pratt’s concept of ‘contact zones’ in combination with Shameem Black’s notion of ‘border-crossing fiction’ and Shelley Fisher Fishkin’s term ‘transgressive texts’, I argue that otherness in cross-cultural contemporary short fiction can be mapped through the lens of ‘intersubjectivity’. I utilise Marcia Langton’s model, which focuses on authenticity, stereotype and contact. This is used as a practical and critical tool for discussions of contact and otherness in the production and realisation of short stories about Cambodia. The creative component of this thesis comprises six short stories from a collection of 15 titled ‘The Real Cambodia’. This linked collection of stories about Cambodia, tourism and its effects, demonstrates a practical application of contact theories, in particular that of border-crossing fiction, by fictionally exploring the consequences and outcomes of writing about an ‘other’ culture. Using multiple viewpoints, the stories look at otherness through themes of sex work, alienation, racism, poverty, war and love. The selection of stories from ‘The Real Cambodia’ are a practical demonstration of fiction that crosses borders, contributing to a literary community of Cambodian and non-Cambodian authors who are writing about Cambodia and challenging traditional forms of representation.