Writing from the Margins

Literature is power. Books can change the way we see the world. But as writers, whom do we imagine as readers, and how does it affect what and how we write? And ultimately: Who is allowed to write?
These are fundamental questions when it comes to literature. Especially in a wealthy country like Switzerland, where society is very clearly divided along the lines between people who work and people who create. By exploring a few examples, Migmar Dolma will, on one hand, look at the conception of a normative reader and, on the other, explore the meaning of what Toni Morrison said in 1993: "I'm gonna stay out here on the margin, and let the center look for me." In asking, who can be a writer, Migmar Dolma will share and discuss her experiences on what happens, when people from immigrant or working-class backgrounds start to create literature.