States of Fantasy

The Poetics of Post-Exile as ‘Fantastical’: Watersheds in Zoë Wicomb'sDavid's Story

“…This is because, being driven by guilt and remorse, David unintentionally ratifies through his story his inalienable connectedness to the multiple histories in which he half-heartedly feels complicit. Notwithstanding its internal turbulence, this phenomenon reveals itself as 'fantastical', that is, in terms that recall Jacqueline Rose's (1996) concept of 'fantasy'. This is the kind of memory that is 'never only inwardturning; [but] always contains a historical reference in so far as it involves, alongside the attempt to arrest the present, a journey through the past' (Rose 1996, 5).…”

The Allure of the “Big Society”: Conveying Authority in an Era of Uncertainty

“…All of these writers are committed to exploring subjectivity as a field where the vicissitudes and turbulences of contemporary politics are played out. Rose (2006), for example, argues that our engagement with politics is, to some extent, informed by the societal fantasies and desires we hold in relation to politicians and government. One of the most enduring and powerful societal fantasies we cling to is that governmental leaders should have the capability to meet our expectations.…”

Moving tales: acculturation experiences of migrant women staff entering a New Zealand polytechnic

“…The most significant theme running through the stories, however, was their empathetic bonding with staff and students from diverse cultures, evidence of Freud's notion of loss and mourning being that which binds society together (Rose, 1996).…”