Experiencing Difference

Difference is a fundamental aspect of our human existence. This anthology emerges from the editor’s attempts to navigate the complex, variable and unpredictable materiality of difference. The contributors present the various ways in which difference is experienced, interpreted and articulated. They tell of when and how they are named and/or recognized as different by others, and of their own naming and recognition of themselves as different. The essays show that gender, social class, ethnicity, race, region, appearance, dis/ability, sexuality, twin-ness, age, religion and occupational status are experienced and lived in multiple, complicated and contradictory ways. How the writers and others make sense of their differences is related to context, space and interaction. Difference, then, as the essays demonstrate, is relational, fluid, multiple and contextual, and therefore must be thought of in complex ways. Contributors have written in different styles and genres, which represent their respective voices and preferences. Through essays, written in narrative, journalistic and academic forms, short stories, letters, conversations and dialogues-contributors thoughtfully communicate their stories in ways that will maintain interest and attention, as well as facilitate an appreciation of the layered complexities of difference.