Current publications
Entanglements, Narratives, and the Environment: Inter-American Perspectives provides an interdisciplinary ecocritical reading of narratives and environmental entanglements from an Inter-American perspective, predominantly providing literary, film, and cultural analysis of texts from the Americas. In light of Amitav Ghosh’s (2016) exploration of “a crisis of the imagination” in the face of climate change and environmental degradation, this book addresses the potential of literature, history, and politics in comprehending the profound dimensions and violence of these challenges. The chapters show, among others, that the Anthropocene demands fresh narratives and theoretical perspectives, particularly within the framework of Inter-American Studies, which can offer a new venue to discuss pressing issues and to provide intersectional and inter-regional considerations. Thus, drawing on Inter-American perspective with its hemispheric perspectives opens the possibilities for an ecocritical reading of the complexities and relationalities of the climate crisis in the humanities as well as the social sciences. As a result, the book includes historical and political analysis, as well as literary, cultural and film analysis of texts from the Americas. The chapters engage in deconstructing popular myths, de-centering Western approaches, and eventually show through these critical engagements how the climate crisis demands multi-dimensional readings.
Digital Storytelling and Young Adult Literature: A Methodological Combination for the Language Classroom
Digital Storytelling (DST) originated in the 1990s as a narrative technique highlighting ‘ordinary voices’ in order to contribute to the public media discourse. Soon it was picked up by education to capture the diverse lived realities of students. This paper presents a methodological development in the form of a combination of DST with extensive reading of Young Adult Literature in the English classroom. A scaffolded methodological approach is outlined where DST is used as a post‑reading activity which can be enhanced in any foreign language classroom.
Digital Storytelling (DST) originated in the 1990s as a narrative technique highlighting ‘ordinary voices’ in order to contribute to the public media discourse. Soon it was picked up by education to capture the diverse lived realities of students. This paper presents a methodological development in the form of a combination of DST with extensive reading of Young Adult Literature in the English classroom. A scaffolded methodological approach is outlined where DST is used as a post‑reading activity which can be enhanced in any foreign language classroom.
This volume with the title Voices of Diversity: Inclusion and Exclusion in Inter-American Literature, Culture, and History with the subtitle Working Papers from the CEEPUS Inter-American Studies Network selfconfidently declares its scope and breath by choosing a title that allows for so many inroads, topics, themes, and contemplations on a daunting topic, almost it seems, setting itself up for failure: an impossible task. Not only do the individual articles in this volume demonstrate inclusion and exclusion, as scholars have worked on issues of diversity from a variety of perspectives, disciplines, regions, and time and space contexts, but this collection of articles has been included in the book series Off Campus: Seggau School of Thought. This series was established at the University of Graz as a material outcome of the Graz International Summer School Seggau, where students, professors, and guest lecturers contribute to the overall theme of a specific summer school.