Jhoanna Cruz, award-winning writer from the University of the Philippines Mindanao, is visiting Deakin University to present her recent work. Johanna will be appearing at the 2015 Melbourne Writers Festival in August.

Jhoanna’s most recent work, in the current issue of Griffith Review:  New Asia Now, asserts that Philippine Literature is a cultural agenda setter in Asia. The southern part of the Philippines (Mindanao) has seen the world stage due to ‘terrorist’ activities.  There is always a ‘war’ of some sort happening there.  Although most of the Philippines is Catholic, the majority of Mindanao is Muslim.  Being Muslim in a predominantly Christian country is difficult; more difficult when you are a Muslim woman; but probably most difficult when you are a Muslim woman, who falls in love with women, in a place of unrest and where the threat of terrorism is always present.  This is the context of Jhoanna’s recent scholarly work on the autobiographical narratives of 3 Philippine Muslim women writers, one of whom is a (closeted) lesbian.

Event details

Wednesday 26 August at 1pm

Waurn Ponds (ic1.108)

Burwood (F2.009 via video conference)

Contact Dr Alyson Miller to RSVP