CWS held our first brownbag of the semester on Tuesday, 20th September, when David Cisneros (Assistant Professor of Communication and Latina/Latino Studies) presented "Coming out of the Shadows: Genre, Affect, Desire."
Drawing from his current work-in-progress, Dr. Cisneros focused on analysis of "Coming out of the Shadows" narratives. Immigrant rights movments and organizations have encouraged such narratives, hoping they will do similar work for undocumented people that National Coming Out Day has done to increase visibility and activism for LGBTQ rights in the US. Cisneros argues that Coming out of the Shadows narratives are an emerging genre and that they are typifying into a form that relies on affective structures related to notions of belonging, citizenship, and justice.
Citing several examples of the genre, including the anthology Living Illegal and the New York Times piece by Jose Antonio Vargas, "My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant," Cisneros demonstrated the ways these narratives both affirm and resist 'acceptable' affective structures of relationship to the self, the nation, and immigration.
In the discussion that followed Cisneros's prepared remarks, attendees discussed approaches to genre theory and affect, and the public nature of coming out--and the audiences and stakes for coming out as LGBT, coming out as undocumented, or as an ally. Discussion also considered the ways that they align with and depart from narratives of assimilation.
CWS is looking forward to the next event in our Brownbag Series: Kyle Jensen will visit UIUC and present a brownbag in November. We hope to see you there!