Telling from Afar: The Politics of Voice in Diasporic Testimonio

Abstract

Politics and emerging ideologies are closely related to culture, and they have also influenced both Literature and criticism. Politics, culture, history, and ideology, which are closely intertwined, have formed a distinct area of research and have profoundly influenced critical thought. In Literature, it has had a profound influence on the creation of literature, and correspondingly, has given rise to a new branch of Literary Criticism that considers culture as a source of literary analysis. The new generation of scholars and intellectuals has been influenced by popular music, new research in science and technology, rapid globalisation, and industrial growth. The cultures of the new generation are distinct from those of the past, which were largely shaped by books. Modern artists, writers, and critics owe a great deal to the new "visual and aural culture" for shaping their worldviews and cultural standards. This generation is proud of how well it has absorbed these "cultural influences" from previous generations. The popular new culture has captivated even the Previous Generation's Scholars and Intellectuals. The word "reading" is being applied in its widest meaning. Distinguishing between reading and theory is essential. Theorising and reading, though, go hand in hand. Both reading acts and the theory develop out of one another. Two have never been able to get along.