The Other Post-Criticism: Experimental Critical Writing by Women and the Future of the Literary Humanities

Descrizione del progetto

Il ruolo pionieristico delle donne nella cultura della critica letteraria contemporanea

Il progetto TOPCRIT, finanziato dall’UE, si prefigge di produrre una comprensione più ricca e maggiormente inclusiva del concetto di post-critica studiando il ruolo pionieristico svolto dalle donne nella cultura della critica letteraria contemporanea. Lavorando all’avanguardia del dibattito sulle funzioni, le forme e i futuri della critica, il progetto impiegherà una combinazione di sapere interdisciplinare e di tecnologie innovative per documentare, approfondire e divulgare le opere sperimentali di critica letteraria realizzate da donne, fornendo il primo resoconto in assoluto dei contributi e delle sfide femminili al paradigma «post-critico». Per garantire il massimo dell’impatto e della visibilità, i risultati del progetto verranno condivisi in formati e contesti concepiti per influenzare il dibattito accademico e i modelli curricolari più all’avanguardia. È stata sviluppata una vivace strategia di disseminazione per stimolare l’interesse di un pubblico più ampio sui modi in cui i testi e le forme «letterari» possono svolgere funzioni cruciali chiave, nonché per rafforzare il fondamentale ruolo svolto dalle donne nel dibattito critico contemporaneo.

Obiettivo

The principal objective of The Other Post-Criticism (TOPCRIT) is to bring women’s innovative knowledge production in the field of contemporary literary criticism into a broader, more challenging definition of the novel concept of post-criticism. This ICT-enabled project uses a combination of interdisciplinary scholarship and innovative technologies to document, research and disseminate exciting forms of critical and interpretive production by women authors, building on the candidate’s proven track record in this original and distinctive line of research. The project’s interdisciplinary framework harnesses state-of-the-art theorisations of gender to challenge the current binding of post-criticism to a predominantly male philosophical legacy. Seeking to influence the paradigm of the post-critical at a decisive moment in its young history, and working at the cutting edge of debate on the function, forms and continued relevance of literary criticism, TOPCRIT provides the first account to date of women’s post-critical writing – including the use of generic experimentation, performance aesthetics, digital technologies, and a radical reimagining of the essay form –, situating these innovations alongside compelling theoretical discussions of post-criticism by women. TOPCRIT’s project design has at its core a strategy to ensure the maximum impact and visibility of the research, sharing outputs in formats and contexts designed to influence not only state-of-the-art academic debate and curricular models, but, through a vibrant outreach strategy, to spark wider public interest in the ways ‘literary’ texts and forms can perform key critical functions. Aligned with the objectives of the Horizon 2020 Sixth Societal Challenge (‘Europe in a Changing World: Inclusive, Innovative, and Reflective Societies’), the project is designed to document and highlight marginalised cultural production by women, strengthening women's key role in contemporary critical conversation.