Silence and Sound
Nanyang Technological University English Graduate Research Symposium
4-5th October 2024
Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan (SHHK) Building
48 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639818
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Multiplicity and Moveable Feasts: Perspectives on Diasporic Fiction Writing and Publishing
Dr. Balli Kaur Jaswal
Representations of South Asian diaspora narratives and characters have become more nuanced and multifarious over time; in a globalized society, the desire for authenticity and complexity in narratives reflects our increasing sophistication at consuming stories that explore the liminality of migration and movement.
This keynote address will explore changes in representations of marginalized identities in contemporary fiction in the 21st century. Drawing from novels, short stories, films and popular culture, author Balli Kaur Jaswal will first discuss early portrayals of South Asian characters and how they established visibility and recognition for diasporic audiences. An intersectional approach towards diaspora is necessary for confronting these initial representations as we understand the urgency for range and multitudes in portrayals of South Asian narratives.
Jaswal will discuss the romanticizing of diaspora in Salman Rushdie’s “Imaginary Homelands.” Subsequent feminist criticisms of this text highlighted the work of female South Asian diaspora authors who migrated to Western countries in the 1990s and published fiction that questioned nostalgic views of the homeland. While these writers offered the perspectives of women as sub-altern figures gaining autonomy, the American and British publishing industries foregrounded their otherness to make stories more appealing to Western audiences.
The notion of South Asia as “other” or as the antithesis to the West, is a colonial remnant that continues to influence publishing decisions today. In recent years, the call for better representation has resulted in a wider range of South Asian narratives being told and shared. However, some of the former trends and perceptions remain under the guise of different marketing verbiage. Jaswal will discuss her relevant experiences with publishing South Asian diaspora stories both in Singapore and US/UK markets. The talk will conclude with questions of whether the liminality of diaspora can ever be categorized in a capitalist society.
Balli Kaur Jaswal is the author of five novels, including Singapore Literature Prize finalist Sugarbread, and the international bestseller Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows. Jaswal's non-fiction has appeared in The New York Times, Harper’s Bazaar and Salon.com, among other publications. She has held residencies at the University of East Anglia and Nanyang Technological University, where she also completed her PhD in creative writing. Currently a lecturer at Yale-NUS College, she is preparing for the release of her upcoming novel, Now You See Us.
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