Anthropology as cultural translation : Amitav Ghosh's In an Antique Land

This article interprets Amitav Ghosh's generically indeterminate text, In an Antique Land (1992), as a creative exemplar of the New Anthropology pioneered from the early 1980s onwards by such theorists as James Clifford and Mary Louise Pratt. By invoking Talal Asad's identification of similarities between the practices of ethnography and translation, I argue that Ghosh attempts to "translate" the Other in a non-manipulative and dialogic way. Through a close reading of In an Antique Land alongside both "classic" ethnographies and the New Anthropology, I suggest that Ghosh is commendably alert to the historical, social, and regional specificities that have shaped the multifaceted Others he encounters

'Guantánamo Boy' : An Interview with Moazzam Begg

In this interview, conducted in 2009 but still timely and with an introduction written in May 2011, Claire Chambers converses with the non-fiction writer, Moazzam Begg, on the "war on terror", literature, and British Muslims. Begg famously spent three years in Guantánamo Bay and, since his release in 2005, he has become an important spokesman for other “cage prisoners,” writing the first memoir by a former detainee, Enemy Combatant . Eloquent, controversial, and occasionally paradoxical, in this interview Moazzam Begg sheds important light on recent discourse surrounding "moderate" and "radical" Muslims

A Fanonian Summer

This short essay is a reflection by Claire Chambers about what the Martinican psychiatrist and revolutionary Frantz Fanon has meant to her during a career as a postcolonial scholar, and in one ‘Fanonian summer’ in particular—in the volatile and manichaean year of 2016. The article takes as its point of departure revelations about Fanon’s life yielded by two texts: David Macey’s Frantz Fanon: A Biography and Jean Khalifa and Robert Young’s Écrits sur l’aliénation et la liberté. It then moves into discussion of the philosopher’s radical legacy for anti-racism and postcolonial studies through readings of three of his works, Black Skin, White Masks (1952) and The Wretched of the Earth (1961), and A Dying Colonialism (1959). Chambers considers Fanon’s psychiatric work and activism for the National Liberation Front or FLN during the Algerian War of Independence (1954−1962), as well as his gender politics. The essay concludes by suggesting that never has Fanon’s work been more relevant to postcolonial thought than in our divided, violent late 2010s

Sound and Fury : Kamila Shamsie's Home Fire

Kamila Shamsie’s Home Fire is a post-9/11 Antigone. This is signalled by the novel’s epigraph from Seamus Heaney’s 2004 translation of Socrates’ lines: ‘The ones we love . . . are enemies of the state’. Heaney’s tyrant king goes on to declare: ‘Whoever isn’t for us | Is against us’. The Irish poet brought new meaning to Antigone in light of the Bush slogan ‘You’re either with us or you’re with the terrorists’. Shamsie adds fresh layers in her reconsideration of the classic play. The novel explores the issue of British Muslims joining ISIS and on return being denied citizenship. Accordingly, this article discusses some big questions posed by Shamsie, which deal with such topics as language, assimilation, difference, and justice. My overarching themes, however, are the novel’s leitmotifs of sound and fury; I argue that Shamsie subtly considers whether we need to “listen to”— while simultaneously refusing to condone— jihadists. Tropes of noise and violence pierce Shamsie’s Home Fire at regular intervals. The Pakistani novelist listens to others, to individuals who are usually unattended to: most notably, radicalized subjects

The experience and perceptions of support of people with mild to moderate intellectual disability and how this relates to their identity: and Clinical Research Portfolio

Introduction: Research has highlighted that people with intellectual disabilities value their support but also report areas of dissatisfaction in how it is delivered. Previous research has also been conducted on the stigma associated with having an intellectual disability, but little research has emerged on the impact being supported has on their sense of identity. Method: Ten adults aged between 24 and 36 years with a mild or moderate intellectual disability, living within their own tenancy or supported accommodation and in receipt of paid support were recruited. Semi structured interviews were carried out and data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Results: Analysis identified two overarching themes: 1) support feels like a need and a comfort; 2) Acceptance of support is influenced by the sensitivity of its delivery. Personal histories were found to impact on individual’s ability to trust others and form meaningful connections. Conclusions: The way support is delivered to individuals can affect the sense of control they have over their lives and feelings of being respected and valued, ultimately impacting on their self-identity. Services should consider the aspects of support valued and what changes can be made to promote positive identities

Blackfriars Dance Concert 2013 Poster

Providence College Department of Theatre, Dance & Film Angell Blackfriars Theatre Blackfriars Dance Concert 2013 November 15th & 16th Friday @ 8:00PM Saturday @ 2:00PM Poster: Claire Chambershttps://digitalcommons.providence.edu/bdc_2013_pubs/1000/thumbnail.jp

Spring Dance Concert 2013 Poster

Providence College Department of Theatre, Dance & Film Angell Blackfriars Theatre Spring Dance Concert 2013 Student Choreography Showcase April 27th @ 8PM April 28th @ 2PM Poster Design: Claire Chambershttps://digitalcommons.providence.edu/sdc_2013_pubs/1001/thumbnail.jp

Qaisra Shahraz in Interview with Claire Chambers

Qaisra Shahraz is a popular and acclaimed Pakistan-born and Manchester-resident screenwriter, educationalist, novelist and short story author. She was recently recognised as number 1 out of the 50 most influential women in Manchester. Last year she won the National Diversity “Lifetime Achiever” Award for services to literature, education, women’s rights and interfaith relationships. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and advisor to Asia Pacific Writers & Translators partnerships. Her novels have been translated into many languages including Mandarin. In this interview, Claire Chambers discusses her new short story collection The Concubine and the Slave-Catcher in detail with Shahraz, as well as asking her to give readers a preview of her current work