So there's been a lot of talk amongst the members of a certain workshop outside of class about exploitation and appropriation. Basically, the question goes, How much right do we have to write about struggles/wars/pain/experiences/peoples/cultures/dialects/traumas which are not our own?
I won't attempt to answer this enormous question in a tiny blog block.
But what's interesting to me is: Is anyone talking about this with their 200 students? I sure as hell wouldn't. I remember the power of imagination and creative impulse, back when I wasn't so concerned about ethics and the writer's responsibility to their subject matter. I've had students turn in stories about gang members and poems about jail time and I can reasonably assume these students have neither donned a colored bandana nor stepped inside a police station in their lives.
If I were to talk to them about ethos, I might do it in a conference if they were really, really interested in pursuing writing outside of the class, but I wouldn't write on their stories and poems (at this point), what do you have at stake in this material? Are you worried about exploiting your subject matter?
It's too hefty a topic to get into, and I would fear frightening them off, especially in an intro to creative writing class which some might be taking not for their majors or careers but for a hobby/fun/personal interest class.
But when did we learn this lesson as writers ourselves? And how?
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Has the discussion concluded that any use of history -- any use at all -- is exploitation or appropriation? Or is it only some particular kinds of history or trauma that are the sole preserve of those who are directly affected, and no one else can be permitted to engage with that story? How has the discussion been tending?
ReplyDeleteThe discussion has been going in all different directions, depending on the personal aesthetics of the ones talking. Personally, I'd say that not every use of history is exploitation/appropriation, but that they all have the possibility to become so when the writer doesn't keep in mind his/her obligation to accurately and ethically present the material. To me, to write about another group or another's trauma requires research and investment, not just imaginative guesswork. I don't think any subject is "off-limits" to a writer as long as they keep in mind their intentions and motivations for writing those projects.
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