“I am she who will be free”: June Jordan’s Transnational Feminist Poetics
Keywords:
June Jordan, Transnational Feminism, Poetic Forms, Cross-Cultural Dialogue, Polyvocal Feminism, Relational IdentityAbstract
This article analyzes the transnational feminist poetics of June Jordan, an African American writer whose work addresses cultural disputes, violent conflicts, and issues of equality and inclusion from a global perspective. The paper explores how Jordan's poetry connects feminism, female sexual identity politics, and transnational issues, facilitating an investigation into the role of poetry within Transnational Feminisms. Her literary oeuvre is examined for its thematic and stylistic transnational qualities, which encourage cross-cultural dialogue and promote relational ways of thinking about identity. The article argues that Jordan's work inspires a 'polyvocal' feminism that moves beyond fixed categories of race, sex, and nation, working towards a more relational narration of conflicts and oppressions across the globe. Methodologically, the study employs close textual analysis and contextual historical inquiry to demonstrate how Jordan's poetry reflects her experiences as a female, black, bisexual, and American writer, while also engaging with cultures outside the 'western' context. Key findings include Jordan's non-hierarchical approach to the Other and her ability to move beyond established discourses of what constitutes the 'norm.' The significance of this work lies in its contribution to understanding the role of poetry in transnational feminist discourse and its critique of the 'western' tendency to appropriate the Other.(The abstract and keywords were prepared retrospectively for indexing purposes using AI-assisted tools and editorial review, based on the original article. They did not appear in the original publication.)
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