Congratulations to Dr. Lara El Mekkawi, who on May 2 successfully defended her dissertation, "Hesitant Belonging: Understanding Generational Traumas of Forced Migration in Black and Palestinian Diaspora Contemporary Transnational Fiction." Her dissertation was supervised by Dr. Heather Smyth and Dr. Jay Dolmage, her internal members were Dr. Veronica Austen and Dr. Vinh Nguyen, the internal-external member was Dr. Nazli Akhtari, and the external examiner was Dr. Yasmeen Abu-Laban.
Abstract
This dissertation explores the concept of "hesitant belonging" within the context of Black and Palestinian Diaspora Contemporary Transnational Fiction. The study investigates how forced migration, identity formation, and the related affects of uncertainty and ambivalence shape the experiences of diasporic individuals. By analyzing four literary case studies, the work highlights how hesitancy, as a space of uncertainty and stagnation, a response to past trauma and ongoing violence, and a tool for refusal and resistance, influences the sense of belonging in migrant bodies navigating different locales. The broader goal of the dissertation is to elucidate the role of hesitation in understanding complex and difficult forms of belonging, as well as its intersection with diaspora studies, postcolonial studies, affect theory, and trauma studies.