Judaic diasporic hybrid hauntings

Abstract

In this research, both discursive and in practice, I give account of my Judaic family dispersal, which requires a particular interaction and interrelationship between the past and the present. This interrelationship forms a dialectic that holds two positions: first, the past, represented as a haunting through the intergenerational transference of traumatic postmemory and, second, the present as a manifestation of cultural hybridity. I attempt to reconcile these seemingly opposite polarities in a manner that gives agency to a traumatic Judaic familial diasporic narrative rooted in the context of the Holocaust. This is made especially complicated, given the intricate histories both personal and collective that intersect in my family’s diasporic journey in Poland, America and South Africa. These include the Holocaust, Polish-Jewish relations, pre- and during WWII, and apartheid in South Africa. I combine and interconnect these diverse historical, cultural and spatial locations to form what I term ’entanglements‘: the interweaving of the past and the present, folkloric and mythological narratives. My practice-led research is approached from a Bricolage perspective, which incorporates an autoethnographic and subjective stance, supported by literature and textual comparison. These include notions of nostalgia, explicated by Svetlana Boym (2001), and empathic imagination, as examined in the writings of Caroline Pedwell (2016) and Dominik La Capra (1999, 2001). Through re-contextualisation of existing family documentation, my research problematises haunting trauma to become an affective and affirmative representation of postmemory narratives. I refer to the pivotal texts concerning postmemory and hybridity in relation to Marianne Hirsch (1997, 2012) and Homi Bhabha (1994, 2004.). In addition, the theories of Eva Kosofsky Sedgwick (2003) and Jill Bennett (2005) provide a reparative reading of this exegesis. By way of comparison, Mirta Kupferminc, Firelei Baez and Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum are selected as artists who challenge representation of diasporic hybrid hauntings through their own cultural heritage and mythological constructs. The outcome enabled a dialogical conversation with my own practice, developing innovative narratives of haunting.

In hierdie navorsing – sowel diskursief as in die praktyk – beskryf ek my Joodse familieverspreiding, wat ’n ondersoek na die interaksie met en onderlinge verwantskap tussen die hede en die verlede vereis. Hierdie onderlinge verwantskap het ’n dialektiek gevorm wat twee posisies behels: eerstens, die verlede, wat voorgestel word as ’n herinneringstog deur die intergenerasie-oordrag van traumatiese postherinnering en, tweedens, die hede as ’n manifestasie van kulturele hibriditeit. Ek het probeer om hierdie skynbaar teenoorgestelde polariteite te verenig op ’n manier wat mag gee aan ’n traumatiese Joodsefamilie- diasporiese verhaal wat in die konteks van die Joodse volksmoord gewortel is. Hierdie poging was veral ingewikkeld, vanweë die verwikkelde geskiedenisse, persoonlik sowel as gemeenskaplik, wat mekaar kruis in my familie se diasporiese reis in Pole, Amerika en Suid-Afrika. Hierdie geskiedenisse sluit die Joodse volksmoord, Pools-Joodse verwantskappe, die pre-WWII- en WWII-tydperke en apartheid in Suid-Afrika in. Ek het hierdie uiteenlopende historiese, kulturele en ruimtelike liggings gekombineer en onderling verbind om te vorm wat ek “verwikkelings” noem: die vervlegting van die verlede en die hede, en folkloristiese en mitologiese verhale. My praktykgedrewe navorsing is benader vanuit die perspektief van bricolage, wat ’n outo-etnografiese en subjektiewe standpunt inkorporeer – gesteun deur literatuur en teksvergelyking. Hierdie tekste sluit begrippe van nostalgie in, soos ontleed deur Svetlana Boym (2001), en empatiese verbeelding, soos bestudeer in die skryfwerk van Caroline Pedwell (2016) en Dominick LaCapra (1999, 2001). Deur die herkontekstualisering van bestaande familiedokumentasie het my navorsing herinneringstrauma geproblematiseer en dit omskep in ’n affektiewe en affirmatiewe voorstelling van postherinneringsverhale. Ek het verwys na die sleuteltekste oor postherinnering en hibriditeit met betrekking tot Marianne Hirsch (1997, 2012) en Homi Bhabha (1994, 2004). Die teorieë van Eva Kosofsky Sedgwick (2003) en Jill Bennett (2005) het ’n herstellende lesing van hierdie eksegese gebied. By wyse van vergelyking is Mirta Kupferminc, Firelei Báez en Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum gekies as kunstenaars wat die voorstelling van diasporiese hibriede herinneringstogte deur hul kulturele nalatenskap en mitologiese konstrukte in twyfel trek. Die uitkoms het ’n dialogiese gesprek met my eie praktyk moontlik gemaak deur die ontwikkeling van innoverende verhale oor herinneringstogte.

Kulolu cwaningo, kokubili ukuxoxisana kanye nokusebenza, nginikeze ukulandelana kwezahlakalo zokuhlakazeka komndeni wami wamaJuda, okwakudinga ukuhlola ukusebenzelana nokuhlobana phakathi kwesikhathi esedlule nesamanje. Lokhu kuhlobana kwakha ulimi lwesifunda elihlanganisa izikhundla ezimbili: eyokuqala, eyedlule, emelwe njengesixakaxaka ngokudluliswa kwezizukulwane ngezizukulwane zenkumbulo ebuhlungu futhi, okwesibili, okwamanje njengokubonakaliswa kokuhlanganiswa kwamasiko.. Ngizamile ukuhlanganisa lezi zinkolelo-mbono ezibonakala ziphambene ngendlela enikeza i-ejensi indaba edabukisayo yomndeni wamaJuda nolimi lwesigodi esekelwe kumongo wokuQothulwa Kwesizwe. Lo mzamo wawunzima kakhulu, uma kubhekwa imilando eyinkimbinkimbi, yomuntu siqu kanye neqoqo elididyelwe ndawonye, ehlangana ohambweni lomndeni wami lofuduko ePoland, eMelika kanye naseNingizimu Afrika. Le milando ihlanganisa ukuQothulwa Kwesizwe, ubudlelwano bamaPholishi namaJuda, izikhathi zangaphambi kweMpi II kanye neyesi-II, kanye nobandlululo eNingizimu Afrika. Ngihlanganise futhi ngaxhumanisa lezi zindawo ezihlukene zomlando, zamasiko nezendawo ukuze ngenze lokho engikubiza ngokuthi 'ukubopha': ukwelukwa kwesikhathi esedlule nesamanje, kanye nokulandisa ngezinganekwane. Ucwaningo lwami oluholwa umkhuba wokuzijwayeza lwasondelwa ngokombono webrayikholeji, ohlanganisa isimo seothnonografi kanye nokuzicabangela , esisekelwa izincwadi nokuqhathanisa umbhalo. Le mibhalo ihlanganisa imibono yokukhumbula ekahaya, njengoba ichazwe ngu-Svetlana Boym (2001), kanye nemicabango yokuzwela, njengoba ihlolwe emibhalweni kaCaroline Pedwell (2016) kanye no-Dominick LaCapra (1999, 2001).. Ngomsebenzi wokwakhiwa kabusha kwemibhalo ekhona yomndeni, ucwaningo lwami lwaba nenkinga yokuhlukumezeka okudabukisayo, ukuyiguqula ibe ukumelwa okuthintekayo nokuqinisekisayo kokulandisa kwenkumbulo, ukuyiguqula ibe ukumelwa okuthintekayo nokuqinisekisayo kokulandisa kwenkumbulo eza ngemuva. Ngibhekisele emibhalweni ebalulekile ephathelene nenkumbulo yangemuva kanye nengxubevange ngokuhlobene no-Marianne Hirsch (1997, 2012) kanye no-Homi Bhabha (1994, 2004). Izinkolelo-mbono zika-Eva Kosofsky Sedgwick (2003) kanye noJill Bennett (2005) zinikeze ukufundwa okuphindaphindiwe kwalesi sichazamazwi. Ngokuqhathanisa, u-Mirta Kupferminc, uFirelei Báez no-Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum baqokwe njengamaciko abekela inselele ukumelwa ufuduko lwezinto ezingafani ezikulandelayo ngokusebenzisa amagugu abo amasiko kanye nezinganekwane. Umphumela unike amandla udaba oluyingxoxo nokuzijwayeza kwami ekuthuthukiseni izindaba eziqanjiwe ezikulandela njalo nje.