Reading with Minor Feelings: Racialized Emotions and Childrenâs (Non)agency in Judges 10â12
In: Biblical InterpretationSearch for other papers by Dong Sung Kim in
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Abstract
In this article, I read the story of Jephthah and his daughter in Judges 10â12 within the contemporary context of racism and discrimination in the U.S. Particularly focusing on the affective and emotional dimensions of the lived experiences in racially/ethnically minoritized communities, I engage the biblical story with what poet and writer Cathy Park Hong calls, âminor feelings.â Reading the biblical narrative alongside Hongâs crudely personalâand yet pervasively commonâaccounts of Asian American racial trauma, I critically reflect on the notion of childhood agency, and suggest that the Western conception of agency neither reflects nor promotes the lives of the children in minority groups. In turn, I ask: What if we moved away from the traditional notions of agency and voice in our critical works, and, instead, turned towards emotions, sensations, and other embodied experiences as a site of interpretation, critique, and movement for social change?
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Reading with Minor Feelings: Racialized Emotions and Childrenâs (Non)agency in Judges 10â12
In: Biblical InterpretationSearch for other papers by Dong Sung Kim in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
In this article, I read the story of Jephthah and his daughter in Judges 10â12 within the contemporary context of racism and discrimination in the U.S. Particularly focusing on the affective and emotional dimensions of the lived experiences in racially/ethnically minoritized communities, I engage the biblical story with what poet and writer Cathy Park Hong calls, âminor feelings.â Reading the biblical narrative alongside Hongâs crudely personalâand yet pervasively commonâaccounts of Asian American racial trauma, I critically reflect on the notion of childhood agency, and suggest that the Western conception of agency neither reflects nor promotes the lives of the children in minority groups. In turn, I ask: What if we moved away from the traditional notions of agency and voice in our critical works, and, instead, turned towards emotions, sensations, and other embodied experiences as a site of interpretation, critique, and movement for social change?
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 673 | 97 | 11 |
| Full Text Views | 218 | 5 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 502 | 15 | 0 |
