In this class we have been studying Mennonite Literature and discussing common themes and images since the beginning of the semester. However we have only recently began looking at l representations of how literature functions within the Mennonite community.
To do this we started with three lectures given at the Second Mennonite Writing Conference at Goshen College in 1997. Hildi Froese Tiessen's piece, entitled "Beyond the Binary," took issue with the way Mennonite writers are considered outsiders. She criticized the notion that there was such a thing as an accepted Mennonite "tradition" and that there was a clear division between the people who fell inside and outside of it. Her piece was very theoretical and echoed post-colonial criticism themes, such as wanting to accept everyone as somewhere on a continuum.
Jeff Gundy in his essay, "In Praise of Lurkers," used a similar model to outsiders and insiders, but unlike Tiessen, did not call for change. He saw the role of the Mennonite writer as a positive outsider. Many artists and visionaries throughout history have been, in Gundy's words, "lurkers." Likewise in the Mennonite community, these unconventional members of the community as bringing critique, introspection, and outside ideas.
In my opinion the most accurate article was Ann Hostetler's, "The Unoficial Voice: The Poetics of Cultural Identity and Contemporary U.S. Mennonite Poetry." While like Tiessen's, it was very academically written. It asserted that the relationship between outsiders and insiders in Mennonite culture was more complicated than it appeared when one considered only Mennonite culture. Hostetler saw Mennonite culture as only one ethnic group among many. In this model, "outsiders" are actually cultural translators that give accounts of Mennonites to exterior groups and in turn represent other cultures to their Mennonite communities.
I found this to be a healthy relationship because it gives writers and artists the freedom to represent groups as they see them, rather than needing sanction from the group being looked at. It also does not limit the scope of our vision to only one community, but rather sees ethnic groups as unique but interrelated through art.
It's interesting that you suggest that minority ethnic groups share a sort of similar artistic lens. I think this definitely needs to be qualified--each ethnic group has its own struggles that result in a unique artistic expression--but on some level I think this might be true. Ethnic art is born of a combination of cultures and often a sense of insecurity in the broader world, but a dedication to the immediate ethnic community.
ReplyDeleteAnother piece that I really liked from Hostetler's article was the paradox that even as Mennonites seek to find one true identity, they will inevitably divide themselves. It is impossible to agree on a "one true Mennonite self" model, so people will disagree with each other and each create their own Mennonites. I wonder if this need to create one truth is why Mennonites are now such a diverse group?
Sarah's comment made wonder if one of the reasons Mennonites are so diverse is because there's not really a "set" structure of beliefs that a Mennonite guaranteed believes.
ReplyDelete(For example, many Christians cite the Apostle's creed as their sort of claim to their beliefs.)
However, after researching a little bit, I found a "Mennonite Confessional" that makes it very clear what Mennonites believe. I guess I was wrong that there isn't one...
(http://www.mennolink.org/doc/cof/)