Enclave literature that withdraws from mainstream concerns will designate itself as permanently minor
Evidence
If contemporary writing which emerges from oppressed groups ignores the central concerns and major conflicts of the larger society, and if these are willing simply to accept themselves as marginal or enclave literatures, they will automatically designate themselves as permanently minor, as a sub-genre. They must not allow themselves now to be rendered invisible and marginalized in this way by stepping outside of the maelstrom of contemporary history. — Stuart Hall, Essential Essays, Volume 2, 268
Categorization
Category: Causal Relationships
- XREF: Directly anticipates debates on whether minority/migrant representation in literature and media reinforces or challenges marginalization—a question Islamophobia readings on representation inherit from Hall.
- QUESTION: Worth chasing: does Hall’s demand that minority writing engage the ‘larger society’ itself impose a burden that mainstream writing does not carry? A tension later critics of Hall might pursue.