Magdalena LeutgöbWeibliche Zeugnisliteratur Lateinamerikas zwischen Fakt, Fiktion und Trauma

About this book deutschenglish

The life stories of the human rights activists Rigoberta Menchú Tum and María Teresa Tula have long been recognized as canonical examples of Latin American testimonial literature. Set in 20th century Guatemala and El Salvador - two countries shattered by the political rule of brutal military dictatorships - they remind us of the complexities inherent in female subaltern testimony. At the same time, they acquire significance in the present sociopolitical discourse, which is marked by debates around #metoo, everyday sexism, facts and fakes, and the process of bearing testimony.

This book follows the traces of the two female witnesses and sheds light on their stories from the perspective of cultural and literary studies, as well as the humanities. Hereby, the interrelationship between reality construction and language takes center stage and fundamental questions are confronted:

Who is allowed to speak? Who should be heard? What is truth and what is lie? Where do traumatic experiences blur the lines between fact and fiction?

In the process, feminist perspectives meet postcolonial theory and core questions of literary studies touch upon the heart of Latin American structural history. Psychoanalytic perspectives on the power of literature in the processing of traumata complete the multidisciplinary topic area.

In this sense, this book not only aspires to turn into a mouthpiece for the field of tension between fact, fiction and trauma, but also opens room for discussion on pressing questions regarding the relation between the construction of meaning and the power of interpretation in a postcolonial age.

Ihr Werk im Verlag Dr. Kovač

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