Backtracking in Joyful Strains

The essay, Backtracking, considers the position of mixed-race subject within the context of postcolonial literary theory, in particular how 'the hybrid' and 'hybridity' problematizes 'migrant' and the stereotypes of 'difference' that migration presents. While the essay takes the position of a migrant commenting on migration, this literary exploration addresses spatial and temporal ambiguities in 'migration' narratives presented by mulptiple forms of hybridity. Research contribution The work extends the discourse around hybridity and how difference is always situated in both place and time. Drawing from theorists including Homi Bhabha and Trinh T Minh Ha, the essay asks: where a migrant might write from? How is migration complicated by hybrid identities? How is such writing made comprehensible to a reader operating in a normative position? Research significance: The essay was commissioned for the collection, Joyful Strains. National distribution in Australia is through the major publishers, Affirm. The collection was widely reviewed across major outlets including: The Age, Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian. The writer attended literary events to discuss the work including Travel Writing festival 2013 and was invited to teach a workshop on Writing Place at Writers Victoria (August 2013). The author was interviewed on ABC Brisbane and ABC RN Life Matters.