The latest online event in Decolonising 51Âþ»'s Kimberlin Sessions series will take place on Monday 9 November with the theme ‘Literature, Mythology and Storytelling: Cultural Insights and Connections.’
Myths form a fascinating part of culture, from ancient history through to modern popular culture. Myths can be stories or narratives that are told and retold, and often used to explain the origin and identity of people and communities.
This session will be hosted by Dr Manjeet Ridon, Associate Dean International in the Faculty of Arts, Design and Humanities, and seeks to explore how ancient Indian myths have been reimagined by contemporary writers. Manjeet will open the session with an illustration of how Chitra Divakaruni has used various ancient Indian myths as a vehicle to greater insight, understanding and empathy with the migrant and marginalized communities in North America.
In The Mistress of Spices (1997), Divakaruni specifically focuses on the South Asian American community living in California and draws on ancient Indian and Native American myths to tell the story of Tilo, a mysterious figure who runs a grocery store in inner-city Oakland and uses her knowledge of spices to help her customers overcome difficulties. Tilo provides magical spices not only for cooking but also for the challenges that Indian immigrants in an alien land experience.
The session will invite reflections on how the use of myths and storytelling could feature in decolonising the curriculum and the wider university context.
This session is open to 51Âþ» staff and students, and will start at 12 noon and last for one hour. Students who wish to attend must register using their 51Âþ» student email address only. A link to Microsoft Teams will be sent to you on the Friday before the event.
We do hope you can join us at what promises to be an interesting session, and if you would like to attend please book your place by emailing eventsoffice@dmu.ac.uk.
Posted on Wednesday 28 October 2020