South Asian Literature and Film
It's not always straightforward to find South Asian literature in libraries, so as diversity curators and being of south Asian descent, we had decided to pay homage to our roots in this collection. We wanted to offer different perspectives as quite often our stories usually involve images of trauma. As significant as trauma themes are in our stories and how they shape our identities, we also wanted to highlight the side of our culture that we know and love, as well as the bold and vivid aspects of South Asian culture. We need these perspectives since South Asia is vast, and so this collection is for people who want to explore the world of South Asian literature in all its grandeur and to delve into the vibrancy, enchanting, and insightful themes of these books.
Emotional Support Animals
For centuries, animals have collaborated with humans in many different roles. They have fulfilled numerous tasks to make jobs more accessible for people to carry out. Dogs have been trained for centuries to carry out activities, such as protecting herds, hunting wild game, guarding properties, aiding in search and rescue, message delivery in times of war, and finally, in just sheer companionship - under various guises to improve lives. Horses and oxen have been used as mounts, pulling wagons, pulling farm equipment, and simply aiding us to accomplish things that would take multiple people to do rather than just one. Birds have been trained to carry messages and help us in hunting. Cats have been used for companionship and have a massive job maintaining an ecosystem by eliminating disease-carrying rats that can destroy stored crops. There have also been instances where untrained animals have spontaneously aided those with disabilities.
Black Voices Beyond America
The premise of this year’s diversity curator’s project was to represent Black voices beyond America. We felt that there tends to be an over representation of Black American experiences in the mainstream media and that the dominance of these narratives “Other” the experiences of Black people, globally. This, in itself, becomes oppressive as it assumes that Black experiences are relative to a blueprint established by Black American voices. By curating a selection of literature and reading material, we have aimed to challenge the homogenisation of Black experiences and offer a diversity of voices that decentres the Black American voices. In doing so, we are not suggesting that these voices should not be appreciated, but rather that they should form part of a wider tapestry of history and literature. Furthermore, by offering a selection of reading that covers a wider historical spectrum, we hope to emphasise that Black voices have always been present and all it takes is a relaying of the gaze to appreciate a broader horizon and plethora of voices that would otherwise by unheard without promotion.
Women's Rights: Past and Present
This display celebrates the campaigns on reproductive rights by women's groups in the 1970s and 1980s. It was created through original materials from the Centre for Gender Studies in Wales Collection: a collection donate to USW containing leaflet, training packs and magazines. It provides an excellent source of primary materials for the study of second-wave feminism in Wales and the UK.