Use of Hauntology in the Arts: Narratives of Marginalized Communities
Drawing from multiple studies, such as Justin Armstrong's article on ethnography of absence, the use of hauntological approach in the humanities and the arts could be seen as a way to move from spaces of quiet into loud, by investigating the emptied presence of the identity and self-concept. One of the common ways hauntology is used in the arts, in relation to marginalized communities, is associated with demonstrations and conceptualizations of belonging, abandonment and absence.
Based on the current findings, marginalized individuals are charged with an enormous burden that calls upon them to sacrifice their individual identities and heritage to satisfy the demands of the dominant and the privileged populations. Thus, in addition to existing research, I plan on doing my own data collection through surveying students, faculty and staff at Miami University of Ohio (and potentially other universities) to add on to the others' conclusions and findings. The goal is to further investigate the viewer's immediate response and the emotional reaction to artworks that features marginalized communities with and without hauntological approach.
The paper will analyze the visual and conceptual aspects of using hauntology in artmaking from a personal, and theoretical perspective to reflect on some facets of unequal power relationships.