Literary Criticism

1. PAPER-7 LITERARY THEORY AND CRITICISM
LITERARY THEORIES: DIASPORA LITERATURE
AND QUEER THEORY
PREPARED BY: VISHVA GAJJAR
ROLL NO.: 33
EMAIL:VISHVAGAJJAR27@GMAIL.COM
SMT. S.B.GARDI ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
BHAVNAGAR UNIVERSITY

2. Diaspora:
■ A diaspora is a scattered population whose origin
lies in a separate geographic locale.
■ Shortly- they were exiled from their homeland is
the term known as ‘Diaspora’.
■ In this way many desires are killed and when in
this situation the literature made is known as
‘Diaspora Literature’.
■ Scholars have distinguished between different
kinds of diaspora, based on its causes such
as imperialism, trade or labor migrations, or by the
kind of social coherence within the diaspora
community and its ties to the ancestral lands.
■ Diasporas often maintain ties to the country of
their historical affiliation and influence the policies
of the country where they are located.

3. Continue…
■ The term was originally used by the ancient Greeks to
describe citizens of a dominant city-state who emigrated to a
conquered land with the purpose of colonization, such as
those who colonized Egypt and Syria.
■ It is especially used with reference to the Jews, who have lived
most of their historical existence as a diaspora people.
■ From the mid-second century onward, diaspora was the
normative experience of Jews until the establishment of the
state of Israel in 1948.
■ The majority of Jews today are still a diaspora people.

4. Reasons for Diaspora:
■ Since World War II, the idea of
diaspora has proliferated to an
extraordinary extent. One reason for
this development was
decolonization, which forged
transnational bonds of solidarity
among globally scattered
populations, notably those of African
origin.
■ Another reason for the increased
popularity of diaspora is the
international recognition of
refugees. There have been refugees
in history as long as there have been
wars, plagues, and famines.

5. Popular Indian diaspora Works:
■ The Namesake by Jumpa Lahiri
■ The Palace Of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee
■ Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie
■ The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai

6. Queer Theory:
■ Queer theory is often used to designate the
combined area of gay and lesbian studies,
together with the theoretical and critical
writing.
- M.H. Abraham.
■ LGBT:
L= lesbian
G= gay
B= bisexual
T= transgender
■ People thinks that, Queer is something that is
not normal or abnormal, worthless, strange,
feared, questionable, odd, unconventional.

7. Continue…
■ Feminism was the contrast between sex and gender- Queer
theory offers the view that all identities are social constructions.
■ The idea of male and female are just as much the product of
representations as masculinity and femininity.
■ Queer theory does not concern itself exclusively with
homosexuality- it is about all forms of identity.
■ Queer theory focuses on mismatches between sex, gender and
desire.

8. Works on queer theory:
■ GenderTrouble by Judith Butler
■ No Future by Lee Edelman
■ Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
■ Dancer and the Dance by Andrew Holleran

9. Critics of Queer Theory:
■ Critics argue with the notion of identity as fluid since most
people would assert that their sexual identity isn’t fluid even if
other parts of their identity are.
■ Some critics argue that since queer theory focuses on media
analysis instead of real life it cheats because it is easier to find
ambiguities in texts.
■ Critics argue that queer theory celebrates radical diversity and
that this can be damaging for society as it can lead to
individualism and fragmentation.

10. Thank you