Angel Evans, Ph.D. student in English, will present her talk, "The Rhetorical Making and Un-Making of La Vierge Noire."
This talk will examine the perceived rhetorical identity of 14th-15th century Black Madonna relics in France. Central questions include: What public rhetoric(s) continue to inform the presence of Black Madonnas locally and abroad? As suggested by scholar Monique Scheer, how have discourses of “Eastern provenance” shaped the racial identity attributed to “La Vierge Noire” (making)? On the other hand, what historical patterns of racial "erasure" might we observe (un-making)? Together, we'll consider how these questions might help us make sense of ongoing processes of rhetorical construction/symbolic representation within "texts"--i.e. words, images, architecture, and historic sites such as La Vierge Noire. A one-page summary of her talk is attached below.
This event is free and open to the public. Co-hosted by the Humanities Institute.
Angel Evans is a PhD student specializing in composition, rhetoric and literacy. She's interested in how culturally-relevant language practices function as modes of empowerment and healing, particularly for marginalized communities. She's also interested in “global” and “public” writing contexts.
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Angel Evans' Research is below:
“The Rhetorical Making and Un-Making of La Vierge Noire”
"The Rhetorical Making and Un-Making of La Vierge Noire" examines the perceived rhetorical identity of 14-15th century Black Madonna relics in France. This colloquium will reflect on my research project in France this summer, where I conducted ethnographic and archival research on Vierge Noire relic sites. Central questions include: What public rhetoric(s) continue to inform the presence of Black Madonnas locally and abroad? As suggested by scholar Monique Scheer, how have discourses of “Eastern provenance” informed the racial identity attributed to “La Vierge Noire” (making)? On the other hand, what historical patterns of racial "erasure" might we observe (un-making)? Together, I’d like to consider how these questions might help us make sense of processes of rhetorical construction and symbolic representation within "texts"--i.e. words, images, architecture, and historic sites such as La Vierge Noire.” In considering these questions, I hope to better understand how past rhetorical constructions are picked up and re-purposed for ongoing rhetorical constructions concerning race and identity. Frantz Fanon—a Black Francophone writer from Martinique—stated, “To speak means to be in a position to use a certain syntax, to grasp the morphology of this or that language, but it means above all to assume a culture, to support the weight of a civilization.” For me, this raises the question: if notions of civilization and language go hand in hand, and to be a “subject” of civilization is to absorb dominant assumptions of ideology, identity, and power, how is that reflected in the image of La Vierge Noire? What might Vierge Noire relic sites teach us about symbolic representation, power, and modes of erasure? A tentative outline of the colloquium discussion:
- • About Me
- • Background/Context
- • Site 1: La Vierge Noire at Notre Dame de Bonné Deliverance (Paris)
- • Site 2: La Vierge Noire at Saint-Sauveur Cathedral (Aix-En-Provence)
- • Discussion Key themes I’d like to highlight:
- • Subjectivity & Symbolic Meaning-Making
- • Rhetorical Blackness and Erasure
- • Identity & Ideology
- • The Role of Space/Place in all the above ^