Become the Monster: Identity, Perception, and What it Means to be Inhuman

Authors

Juniper Amundson

Senior Project Advisor

Anika Tilland-Stafford

Document Type

Project

Publication Date

Spring 2023

Keywords

monsters, disability studies, queer studies, crochet, queer art, queer joy

Abstract

This collection of crocheted pieces illustrates what monsterhood is, how monsters are created, and what it means to become one. Following concepts from queer and disability theory, monsterhood is established as an externally constructed identity that is traditionally imposed on others rather than self-initiated. The pieces illustrate three significant steps in understanding and unpacking how monsters come into being: finding the language to name the monster, embodying that language, and liberating that embodied language from the systems of oppression that shape it. In applying these steps to my own narrative as a disabled transsexual graduating college mid-pandemic, I demonstrate the ways in which individuals who live in societal margins have taken the moniker of "monster" and made it something to be revered and celebrated.

Recommended Citation

Amundson, Juniper, "Become the Monster: Identity, Perception, and What it Means to be Inhuman" (2023). WWU Honors College Senior Projects. 743.
https://cedar.wwu.edu/wwu_honors/743

Type

Text

Rights

Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.

Language

English

Format

application/pdf