Archive and Theory: New Directions in Early Modern Disability Studies. By Erin Severson and Helen Deustch (UCLA)
Session Objectives:
By the end of the workshop, students will be able to:
Analyze excerpts from Audre Lorde’s The Cancer Journals and Frances Burney’s mastectomy narrative through collaborative close reading
Discuss themes of illness, disability, bodily autonomy, and female sexual/reproductive health across historical and contemporary contexts
Examine how illness narratives intersect with institutional medicine, systemic violence, and archival representation
Reflect on and compose personal or community-centered illness narratives
Recognize the role of empathy, storytelling, and communities of care in shaping experiences of illness and disability
Preparation Time:
Facilitator Preparation:
Suggested Prep Time: 120 minutes (to read texts & print out handout)
Facilitator Pre-Reading: Review the module materials, handouts, & questions + source texts.
Audre Lorde’s Cancer Journals: https://archive.org/details/cancerjournals0000lord_k4v3
Frances Burney’s letter(s) to her sister about her mastectomy:
Letter to Esther Burney, Dated 22 March 1812] By Frances Burney: https://anthologydev.lib.virginia.edu/work/Burney/burney-letter-march-22-1812
Original Manuscript - Berg Collection (NYPL Digital Collections): https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/5cd20660-c724-0135-f142-0ff338ae3c9e?canvasIndex=0
OPTIONAL: Complete Part I module on beauty & deformity in a prior session
Suggested Prep Time: 120 minutes
Participant Pre-Reading: Ideally, some or all participants will have completed “Archive and Theory” module 1. Optional, but works best if participants are able to access and read the primary texts ahead of the module session.
Audre Lorde’s Cancer Journals: https://archive.org/details/cancerjournals0000lord_k4v3
Frances Burney’s letter(s) to her sister about her mastectomy:
Letter to Esther Burney, Dated 22 March 1812] By Frances Burney: https://anthologydev.lib.virginia.edu/work/Burney/burney-letter-march-22-1812
Original Manuscript - Berg Collection (NYPL Digital Collections): https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/5cd20660-c724-0135-f142-0ff338ae3c9e?canvasIndex=0
OPTIONAL: Complete Part I module on beauty & deformity in a prior session