Narrating Humanity: Life Writing and Movement Politics from Palestine to Mauna Kea

In Narrating Humanity, Cynthia G. Franklin proposes a new analytical language centered on "narrative humanity," "narrated humanity," and "grounded narrative humanity" to address contemporary crises and practices of life writing. She argues that life narratives can be mobilized to articulate ways of being human necessary for surviving and thriving during these crises, inspired by movement politics such as queer kinship, inter/national solidarity, abolitionist care, and decolonial connectivity. Franklin engages with writers, artists, and activists to create a side-by-side narrative of narrated humanity that refuses boundaries between autobiography, community-based activism, and literary and cultural criticism.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 26 June 2023
Publisher: Fordham University Press

In her groundbreaking work, "Narrating Humanity," Cynthia G. Franklin delves into the intricate practices of life writing and the pressing contemporary crises that shape the United States' understanding of what it means to be human. To facilitate this critical intervention, Franklin introduces a powerful new analytical language centered on "narrative humanity," "narrated humanity," and "grounded narrative humanity." By foregrounding these concepts, she seeks to shed light on the human experiences that arise from movement politics. While stories of "narrative humanity" often perpetuate the status quo, Franklin argues that those of "narrated humanity" and "grounded narrative humanity" offer vital insights into the ways of being human that are essential for survival and thriving in the face of rapidly escalating crises brought about by the intersecting forces of racial capitalism, imperialism, heteropatriarchy, and climate change.

Through a series of chapters that examine Hurricane Katrina, Black Lives Matter, the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, and the Native Hawaiian movement to protect Mauna a Wākea, Franklin showcases how life writing can be mobilized to challenge and dismantle dominant forms of dehumanization that underpin violence. She contends that life narratives have the potential to materialize the ways of being human inspired by these contemporary political movements, which are rooted in queer kinship, inter/national solidarity, abolitionist care, and decolonial connectivity among humans, more-than-humans, land, and waters. By engaging with writers, artists, and activists who embody radical forms of relationality, Franklin collaborates with them in her own acts of narrated humanity, transcending the boundaries between autobiography, community-based activism, and literary and cultural criticism.

In "Narrating Humanity," Franklin makes a profound contribution to the field of life writing and offers a visionary framework for understanding the complexities of human existence in the face of contemporary crises. Through her innovative language and insightful analysis, she challenges us to reimagine our understanding of what it means to be human and to embrace the transformative power of storytelling in shaping a more just and equitable world.

Weight: 482g
Dimension: 153 x 229 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781531503734