Archives

  • Diverse Dialogues
    Vol. 3 No. 1 (2016)

    The year 2015 has been a year of transition for Multilingual Discourses. Shortly after the publication of the last issue “Connections,” the long-term manager of the journal, Viktoriya Yakovleva, left the Department of Modern Languages and Cultural Studies after successfully completing her PhD. We would like to thank Viktoriya again for starting this journal and for all the work she has done for it.

    Faced with the vacant position of managing editor, a group of graduate students from the department volunteered to continue the journal with a rotating team of section editors – and we are very happy to be able to publish the results of their efforts today. In order to represent the diversity of research and activities within the department and the Humanities in general, the new editorial team decided to expand the scope of Multilingual Discourses and added sections dedicated to translations and book and film reviews in addition to the already existing academic articles section.

    In the section “Articles,” co-edited by Shahnaaz Shahtoosi and Axel Perez-Trujillo, Jasmin Hirschberg in “Instances of Repair in Oral Exam Settings” expands the research on linguistic repair by focussing on assessment situations in beginner German classes. In addition to confirming previously established categories of repair, Hirschberg also elaborates on the influence of repair on the learner’s self-perception and the role the latter plays for the learner’s performance. “Metaphoric Recurrences of Dreamlike Imagery” by Daria Polianska addresses the representation of madness and hallucination in texts by Nikolai Gogol and M. Khvylovy. By readings the novels as crisis narrative, Polianska explores how the symbolic imagery of the texts are connected to questions of the nation, social pressure, and political ideology. Ethnic identity discourses are the focus of Susanna M. Lynn’s article “Differences and Similarities in Attitudes towards Intellectual and Visual Culture within the Ukrainian-Canadian Community in Edmonton, Alberta.” Drawing from interviews Lynn made with members of the community, she analyzes how what she calls ‘the linguistic factor’ plays a pivotal role in determining the attitudes towards different aspects of culture within these communities. Last but not the least, Axel Perez-Trujillo’s “Truth, Violence, and Domestic Space” examines the staging of domestic space and gender roles in José Triana’s La noche de los asesinos and Ariel Dorfman’s La muerte y la doncella” to understand how each play explores the relation between gender roles and spatial values under authoritarian regimes and how such repression leads to the emergence of gender reversals and liminal spaces.

    In “Translations,” edited by Olga Ivanova, Houssem Ben Lazreg provides an English translation of the poem “Five Villains” by the Iraqi poet Ahmed Matta, as well as a commentary that introduces the poet and explains the cultural and political references in the poem. Another piece in this section is Kara Abdolmaleki’s English translation of the short Story “My Father’s Dream” by the well-known Iranian writer Gholamhosein Saedi and a biographical introduction. Lastly, in our “Book Review”-section, edited by Houssem Ben Lazreg, Axel Perez-Trujillo provides an insightful and detailed review of Franco Moretti’s famous collection of essays Distant Reading.

    Putting together a journal issue is by definition a collaborative effort. First of all, we would like to thank the authors who have decided to support Multilingual Discourses with their submissions. Secondly, our sincere thanks go out to the editorial team of this issue: Houssem Ben Lazreg, Elli Dehnavi, Olga Ivanova, Axel Perez-Trujillo, Shahnaaz Shahtoosi, and Lars Richter – working with you has been a pleasure and we are truly grateful for everything you have done to get this issue published. Last but certainly not the least, we would like to extend our thanks to the reviewers who made time in their busy schedules to guarantee the quality of the articles, translations, and reviews: Bashair Alibrahim, Hiromi Aoki, Jaimie Baron, Laura Beard, William Beard, Russell Cobb, Elli Dehnavi, Richard Feddersen, Natalia Kononenko, Iman Mersal, Mansoureh Modarres, Andriy Nahachewsky, Onookome Okome, Lahoucine Ouzgane, Lars Richter, Peter Rolland, Shahnaz Shahtoosi, Andreas Stuhlmann, Irene Sywenky, Axel Perez-Trujillo, and Jerry Varsava.

    We hope that you enjoy reading this issue of Multilingual Discourses.

    Sincerely,

    Elli Dehnavi and Lars Richter (Managing Editors)

  • CONNECTIONS
    Vol. 2 No. 1,2 (2015)

      Introduction to the Special Issue “CONNECTIONS”

                                                       “Only connect!”

                                            ― E.M. Forster, Howards End

    In the realities of the globalised world of the 21st  century, we are all connected, whether through our actions, our cultural practices, our ideas, or our values. These connections may be made in person, or mediated; they may reach across continents, across countries or simply across the street. They may be physical or emotional, affective, political or economic and are ever-changing against the backdrop of contemporary technology. Then again, forging connections might not always be as easy as the introductory quote by E.M. Forster suggests.

    This special issue of Multilingual Discourses presents selected proceedings of the 2014 Connections conference organized by and for graduate students from the Department of Modern Languages and Cultural Studies at the University of Alberta. For two days in early February, students from across disciplines shared their research with each other, with the faculty, and with scholars from U of A.

    The articles selected examine notions of self and identity in relation to the collective in multicultural contexts as represented in literature, pop culture, or the news. While the term “Connections” implies the notion of points of contact, the articles also illustrate that connections can be potential sites of tension. Harmony and discord are continually negotiated.

    The double issue covers definitions of identities and subaltern cultures in the Americas with the notions of “Americanity” and “Neobaroque,” a look at slavery history and an early text condemning its destructive impact on both slaves and colonizers in Haiti, discussions of literary heritage that goes beyond national identity, as well as representations of national power in China and outside its boarders. The issue examines contemporary feminist activism through FEMEN’s reception in France and a parallel between pop artist Miley Cyrus and punk feminist Kathleen Hanna exemplifying a potential continuum in feminist art.

    We would like to extend our special thanks to those who have helped us in putting together this special issue: the authors who have been working and reworking their articles, the peer-reviewers providing time and insights to better improve the quality of this issue, the manager of Multilingual Discourses who guided us, guest editors, through the processes of publication, and our colleagues and friends never failing to provide support and ideas. We hope you enjoy reading the articles, and that a tradition of publishing proceedings will take roots for MLCS Graduate Students to showcase their research and editing skills.

    Marine Gheno and Lars Richter

     

  • Worlds out of Words: Language in History
    Vol. 1 No. 2 (2014)

    The second issue of MD aims to explore the history that is born by the words that humans continue to speak into the spaces that connect them.  The issue looks at language as a prism through which our collective histories manifest themselves; as the power to historicize the reality, which we, as humans, possess.

  • Expressing Voice through Language: Self, Nation, Society
    Vol. 1 No. 1 (2012)

    We are delighted to present the first issue of Multilingual Discourses, the critical journal of the graduate students of the Department of Modern Languages and Cultural Studies at the University of Alberta.

    This issue offers insight into current research being conducted by graduate students associated with studies of literature, language, politics, and cultural studies within our department and beyond. The issue comes to you as a joint effort of students and faculty members, who volunteered time and thought as contributors, reviewers, and editors.

    We are excited to develop a platform for the interdisciplinary thought exchange and possibility of sharing excellent graduate work.

    Looking forward to many issues to come,

    Viktoriya Yakovlyeva

    Managing Editor

    On Behalf of Editorial Board