Author Archives: Shmelee E.

Similar to a previous post on the introduction of Jegathesan’s “Tea and Solidarity: Tamil Women and Work in Postwar Sri Lanka,” I was also struck by the author’s observation of the common gesture of concern and care that Tamil women … Continue reading →

In Elan Abrell’s “Saving Animals,” the author offers valuable insights into animal sanctuaries and their caregivers as models for moving away from the objectification of animals and towards recognizing their subjectivity. I appreciate the effort of Abrell’s presenting sanctuaries’ perspective … Continue reading →

According to Ana-Maurine Lara’s “Queer Freedom: Black Sovereignty,” people are disciplined into gendered, racialized, and sexualized norms. This discipline affects the body-land differently based on racial imaginaries. The concept of body-land is not just the physical mass of one’s body, … Continue reading →

Shange draws a contrast between Sofia’s “anti-antiblack practice” and Abuelita’s Black practice”. What is the difference, then? The most noticeable feature that the chapter focuses on is the repeated question of “why can’t we learn African?” Asked by African American … Continue reading →

Tsing’s writing stood out to me for her discussion surrounding the theme of precarity, through the medium of matsutake. I like how she ties together growth of the Japanese-native mushroom to regional industrialization and globalization, as part of an uncertain … Continue reading →