Disaster/Displacement Zine Collection: Student Work Exhibition
Disaster/Displacement Zine Collection: Student Work Exhibition
Location: Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library, First Floor "Reference Collection" (back of the library, low bookshelves)
Exhibit Dates: Monday, April 29th to Friday, May 31st
Reception: Wednesday, May 1, 10AM
The Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library invites the Fitchburg State University community to explore our latest exhibit, a collection of zines created by students in Dr. Jennie Snow's ENGL 4400 Seminar on Disaster and Displacement.
Enlarged versions of student zines will be available for viewing in the Reference Collection area in the back of the library's first floor, accompanied by standard-sized versions for patrons to fold and take home with them.
Throughout the semester, students examined refugee experiences through literature and film with emphasis on war, climate change, and other disasters, centering the stories of those who have been forcibly displaced. On their own, students have undertaken projects that draw attention to how the dominant narratives of war continue to marginalize, or forget, histories of refugee displacement, favoring nationalistic stories of victory or “good” immigrant narratives.
Others have investigated how refugees experience compromised citizenship, exploring intersections with LGBTQ+ experiences of displacement and discrimination within secondary education. Finally, some have examined how literary forms facilitate a unique archive of memory and storytelling that amplify intergenerational connections and presence within, to use James Baldwin’s term, a “loveless world.”
The zine collection on exhibit are companion pieces students made to accompany their larger projects. Zines are a form of print-work that expressions knowledge from the margins, or typically displaced perspectives. Zines usually travel in underground or alternative spaces to communicate ideas that aren’t in the mainstream view. Refugee experiences, histories, and communities continue to be displaced and neglected in broader discourse.
The class invites you to pick some up the zine copies available, fold a few, and pass along what you learn!