Speaker Series Intersectionality from the Americas | Fernando Nina (Heidelberg) | Das Konzept der „Escrevivência“ von Conceição Evaristo als dekoloniale und interdisziplinäre Perspektive von Konvivialität

This talk forms part of the speaker series Intersectionality from the Americas: Theories, Processes, Approaches, Practices, taking place throughout the winter semester 2024/25. Supported by the ScienceCampus and organised by Anne Brüske with Minerva Peinador, Barbara Aranda and Joanna Moszczyńska of DIMAS, this series will feature talks, a workshop and an artistic performance. Find the flyer about the speaker series here. More details about the series can be found here.

The talk on 15 January will be held in German. Abstract in English is included below.

Join via Zoom here.

“Imaginäres jenseits des Randes: Das Konzept der Escrevivência von Conceição Evaristo als dekoloniale und interdisziplinäre Perspektive von Konvivialität”

Abstract in the Language of the presentation:

Der Vortrag präsentiert das Werk der afro-brasilianischen Schriftstellerin Conceição Evaristo. Evaristos Konzept des Schreibens "Escrevivência" wird als dekoloniale Taktik untersucht und aufgezeigt wie ihre Geschichten die Erfahrungen schwarzer Frauen in Brasilien widerspiegeln.

Evaristo prägte den Begriff escrevivência, um ihre Art des Schreibens zu beschreiben. Escrevivência bedeutet „unsere Geschichten aus unserer Perspektive erzählen“. Die Wortneuschöpfung setzt sich zusammen aus escrita (Schreiben) und vivência (Leben), wie in Erfahrung. Evaristos Literatur ist die einzigartigste und innovativste neue Form der Darstellung der Afrobrasilidade im zeitgenössischen Alltag, die eine komplexe Vision einer Welt bietet, die von einer Vielzahl von Stimmen ausgeht und diese (wieder)erkennt. Innerhalb dieses Rahmens wird sich dieser Vortrag auf ihre Themen Körper, Fortpflanzung, Reproduktion, Sklaverei und Begehren konzentrieren.

Abstract in English:

The lecture offers an analysis of the work of Afro-Brazilian writer Conceição Evaristo. This lecture will examine Evaristo's concept of writing "escrevivência" as a decolonial tactic and how her stories reflect the experiences of black women in Brazil. Evaristo coined the term "escrevivência" to describe her approach to writing. The term escrevivência, which Evaristo coined, can be translated as "telling our stories from our perspective." The neologism is composed of two Portuguese words: escrita (writing) and vivência (life), which together form the term escrevivência, as in experience. Evaristo's literary work represents a unique and innovative approach to portraying Afrobrasilidade in contemporary life. It offers a nuanced perspective on a world that is shaped by and acknowledges the multiplicity of voices within it. In this context, this lecture will examine her exploration of themes related to the body, reproduction, slavery, and desire.

Bio:

Fernando Nina is a philologist who specializes in Romance literature and cultural studies, with a focus on Latin American literature and decolonial thought. His main research interests and focuses include Latin American cultural phenomena from the 17th to the 20th centuries, cultural theory, theories of decolonization and the subaltern, and Latin American cultural philosophy. He was an Acting Professor in the Department of Ibero-American Cultural Studies at the University of Heidelberg and he has taught in Mainz, Munich and Utrecht, as well as given lectures in Spain, Ecuador, Chile, Colombia and Brazil. He was recently a Senior Fellow at the Maria Sibylla Merian International Center for Advanced Studies (Mecila) in São Paulo, Brazil (March-November 2024) with the project: “Imaginaries beyond the limit: visualizing Conceição Evaristo's Escrevivência and Djamila Ribeiro's Lugar de Fala as decolonial perspectives on coexistence”. He has edited, among other publications,  Lateinamerikanische Literaturtheorie. Modellanalysen am Beispiel von Pablo Palacio: „La doble y única mujer“ und José María Arguedas: „El sueño del Pongo“. (Tranvía Sur, Berlin: Edition tranvía - Verlag Walter Frey, 2023). His current projects include the translation of the works of Bolívar Echeverría (Berlin: Matthes & Seitz, forthcoming 2024) and the co-authoring of a book on Latin American Political Theory (Stuttgart: Alfred Krömer Verlag, forthcoming 2024).