Sneja Gunew's "Framing Marginality:Multicultural Literary Studies" (Book Note)

 

In her work "Framing Marginality," Gunew adeptly engages with a diverse spectrum of theoretical frameworks to tackle the intricate intersections of multiculturalism and literature, effectively dismantling problematic boundaries within the study of Australian literature. Demonstrating a significant role as an academic, critic, editor, and anthologist in the ascendance of multicultural literary studies in Australia, Gunew imparts specificity to her book by delving into critical debates surrounding "NESB" (non-English-speaking-background) writers and their precarious standing in the evolution of an Australian literary canon.

 

The introductory section serves as a pivotal preamble, encapsulating critical dialogues pertaining to the categorization of "NESB" writers and their contentious positioning. Broadening the discourse, Gunew draws upon post-structuralist, post-colonial, and feminist responses to challenge the essentialism and universalism inherent in European modernity, offering a theoretical framework for understanding multiculturalism in Australian literature. Notably, Gunew eschews the term "migrant" writing, laden with connotations of transience and foreignness, in favor of "ethnic minority writing." This linguistic choice not only facilitates a more nuanced understanding but also strives to render cultural majority groups visible, thus effecting a deliberate denaturalization of the majority culture by foregrounding its own ethnic dimensions.

 

Engaging with contemporary critical theory, Gunew meticulously differentiates the dynamics of multiculturalism in Australian literature from its counterparts in Anglophone nations such as Canada, Britain, and the United States. Simultaneously, her exploration of literary multiculturalism resonates beyond the Australian context, as she grapples with questions of ethnicity and community, the interplay between ethnicity and subjectivity, ethnicity and race, and the role of ethnicity in the national imaginary.

 

The latter portion of the book serves as a direct response to the proclivity among critics to interpret ethnic minority literature as simplistic sociological studies, akin to oral testimonies rather than nuanced written artifacts. Gunew challenges the centralizing tendencies inherent in such reading strategies, advocating for more sophisticated interpretations of these texts. Substantiating her stance, Gunew employs Bakhtin and Kristeva in her analysis of Rosa Cappiello, while delving into Freudian and Lacanian psychoanalysis in the examination of Anna Couani's work. Another chapter is dedicated to poets Antigone Kefala and Ania Walwicz, further enriching her theorization of marginality and multiculturalism.