Date of Award
5-2022
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
English
Committee Chair/Advisor
Clare Mullaney
Committee Member
Maya Hislop
Committee Member
Maria Bose
Committee Member
Gabriel Hankins
Abstract
How has the worldwide phenomenon of nomadism—present day, recent past, and ancient past—been characterized through metaphor by writers, orators, and auteurs? Using metaphoric criticism, I show how the rhetoric of twenty-first-century "van-lifers" builds on a long global history of displacement that ranges from Central Asia to Malaysia to the Grand Canyon. This project’s three case studies span two decades each, comprising the Kitan people of Central Asia (1207-1227); Bukat people of Borneo in Malaysia (1930-1950), and contemporary "van-lifers" of the US (2001-21). This MA thesis parses a newfound connection between the language of nomadism and Burkean “truth”; the language of nomadism clearly contains metaphors of fluidity and renewal, and nonlinear, non-hierarchical structures, pointing to political friction.
Recommended Citation
Wilkosz, Gabrielle, "A Cross-Cultural Trek of Nomadism Through Metaphoric Criticism" (2022). All Theses. 3819.
https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/3819
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