American Misfits: Short Story Collections of Displacement

Catalog description

What does it mean to not “fit in” in the United States? How do various forces—such as settler colonialism, war, and imperialism—influence the geographic movements of people within the US and across oceans and borders? How do displacements shape subjects’ perceptions of home and familial belonging? This course investigates how short story collections, in form and content, depict transnational and transoceanic experiences of living in the US. Through our readings, students will interrogate the social and affective valences of displacement, questioning ideas of nationhood, sovereignty, and belonging. Authors include: Jamaica Kincaid, Chimamanda Adichie, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Kristiana Kahakauwila, Kali Fajardo-Anstine, Manuel Muñoz, Bienvenido Santos, Yalitza Ferreras, and E.P. Tuazon.