Published in Perceive More!·Jun 1UntitledIt’s strange how fallible we are. I’d built up strength, like a tree digging deep into the soil for its roots. I’d grown fervent. Unfurled like a piece of string, stood firm, two solid feet in a soldier’s pose. And then I saw your name and I crumbled. Rippling cracks…Loss1 min read
May 23Beyond the Gender Binary in BollywoodThe problem with discussions of feminism in Bollywood is that they tend to argue that Bollywood is or isn’t feminist. My aim in this piece is therefore contentious: I’m going to suggest that Bollywood is neither feminist nor patriarchal but both. — Ganga, a dainty, doll-faced young woman wants to be a movie star. Every night she dreams of dancing alongside Dev Anand (a Bollywood idol of the 1950s to 70s), as his one and true love, gracing the silver screen with her elegance. One evening, her boyfriend excitedly waves train tickets…Bollywood9 min read
Published in An Injustice!·Apr 5How Enlightenment Thinkers Framed the Original ‘Cancel Culture’ as ‘Progress’ and ‘Civilisation’Why the ‘cancel culture’ debate fails to recognise how European thought has erased (and continues to erase) whole cultures, histories and civilisations simply because they don’t fit middle-class European norms — The ‘cancel culture’ debate winds me up. Particularly when academics claim that they are afraid of expressing their ‘true’ findings for fear of losing their careers. Brushing aside the tempting opportunity to ridicule many frames of reference in that sentence (I mean, don’t get me started on the word ‘true’…Cancel Culture6 min read
Published in An Injustice!·Jan 31Gratefulness Can Limit UsBeing told that things could be a lot worse shouldn’t prevent us from fighting for something better — In an argument about gender roles my aunt told me that I should count myself lucky because my parents give me greater freedom than most girls receive. Cue exasperated eye-roll. I’m 30. Unwed, but/and fucking 30. I do not need to be grateful for the fact that my parents don’t…Gratefulness4 min read
Published in An Injustice!·Jan 13I Seek Validation From MenI had a recent epiphany: I seek validation from men. Not groundbreaking, I’m sure, but nonetheless revelatory. Despite being an ardent, in-your-face, fuck men feminist, I seek validation from men. I need men to tell me that I’m intelligent, that I’m admirable, that I possess wonderful qualities, and that the…Feminism4 min read
Jan 10Eliza’s Adventures in SewinglandThis story is set in Australia and was written as a Christmas fairy tale for a friend who enjoys sewing. In the tiny town of Adelaide, far, far, away from civilisation, there lived two young children who went by the names of Eliza and Henry. Eliza and Henry were very…Sewing7 min read
Published in Perceive More!·Dec 29, 2021Language is a place of struggleI’ve been struggling to find place and space for my thoughts through writing. I can’t. The more I try to consider my depression, the more alienated I feel from myself. Why are the words so difficult to recover? …Bell Hooks2 min read
Dec 21, 2021The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano: Race, Savagery and Religion in Eighteenth Century BritainThis essay was written in 2019 as part of a combined MA: English literature and history module Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavas Vassa as he was more commonly known during his lifetime, published an autobiography in 1789 about his experiences as a slave, toil to freedom and road to spiritual salvation…Olaudah Equiano18 min read
Dec 21, 2021Can English adequately express the postcolonial experience in Africa?An essay I wrote in 2018 for an MA: English Literature program In 1986, Kenyan author and decolonial activist, Ngugi wa Thiong’o wrote a book publicising his ‘farewell to the English language as a vehicle of [his] writings of plays, novels and short stories’ (Ngugi, 1994). In this text, Decolonising…Post Colonialism18 min read
Published in Perceive More!·Nov 16, 2021Dear ex-boyfriend,A lot has changed since we last met. For starters, I now have friends, and depression and insomnia. They make for a manageable combination. …Race2 min read
