| This thesis utilizes Michael Warner's theory of counterpublics to engage with two novellas by Shirin Nezammafi, Salam and White Paper. I critically reconsider the use and reception of ekkyo bungaku ("border-crossing" literature) in contemporary Japanese literary criticism. I intend to shift the critical framework of ekkyo literature away from strictly defined Westphalian nation-state identities, proposing instead a more nuanced view of ekkyo that engages with systemic and societal boundaries that exist beyond the context of national borders. I situate Shirin Nezammafi, Salam, and White Paper within this discourse, positing ways in which she both adheres to and complicates a narrowly defined vision of ekkyo that emerges from national boundaries. |
