Identity and Power in Narratives of Displacement

Katrina M. Powell is Associate Professor of Rhetoric and Writing in the Department of English at Virginia Tech, USA

• 1. Introduction: Constructing Narratives of (National) Identity within Relocations 2. Reservations, Internments, and a Little Pink House: Linking U.S. Histories of Displacement with Human Rights 3. Surviving the (Un)Natural Disaster in New Orleans: Rhetorical Implications of Embracing "Refugee" 4. Buying Refugee Narratives: Sudanese Identity, Civil Unrest, and the Good Refugee 5. "Barriers and Boundaries": Mixed Identities and Multiple Displacements in Sri Lanka 6. Layers of Displacement: Discursive Mark(s) of Identity

"By considering topics ranging from refugees to the forced removal of populations in the U.S., this book addresses both the complexities and differences attending to particular situations and the larger public policy issues facing disenfranchised people. Katrine Powell’s rhetorical analysis provides new and insightful understanding of these important problems of great concern to everyone, the temporarily placed and the displaced." - Amy Shuman, Ohio State University, USA"Powell brings together a wealth of sources to analyze the transnational and contested implications of displacement and to draw attention to the commonalities, such as a sense of abandonment." - Nedra Reynolds, University of Rhode Island, USA"The book’s ability to connect events, positionality, and narratives is unique, and it demonstrates the rhetorical means by which displacement has been normalized. Identity and Power in Narratives of Displacement is an invaluable resource to opening discussions concerning displacement, migration, rights, identity formation, and narrative theory." - Arabella Lyon, University of Buffalo, USA"Powell’s Identity and Power in Narratives of Displacement is a wonderful read for anyone looking to engage in innovative conversations about the historical and rhetorical importance of identity in contexts of displacement." - Ashley Szanter, Albeit"This book is a tremendous contribution to scholars interested in rhetoric, narratives, refugee studies, and related fields." - Tabetha Adkins, Literacy in Composition Studies