Abstract:
In my doctoral journey, I conduct ‘othered(wise) inquiry’ by Srinivasan (2018), which is a ‘methodological and analytical tool that is purposefully used to engage in critical acts, including research contemplations and conversations’ (p. 9). In this presentation, I present Hey Ma with whom I inquire how (in)between identities are constructed, deconstructed and reconstructed in the Malaysian and Australian setting. Hey Ma, a Dark Horse, my Chinese Zodiac, speaks from, with and as the ‘other’ in both the Malaysian and Australian context. Hey Ma allows me to step in and out of different spaces and identity/ies, to critically engage and mediate my complex Third Space (Spivak, 1987; BhaBha, 1994) and in-betweenness. Many times, Hey Ma is the ‘wise’ one, guiding and mentoring me through my journey. The ‘wise’ one questions me, challenges me and yet, comforts me at the same time. Through this speech performance between Hey Ma and I, we be and become each other and contest this space with critical knowledge and theories that are beyond the portrayal of another perspective or standpoint.*Note: This is a part of the symposium [The ‘othered(wise) inquiry’: our performed powerformance] chaired by Dr Prasanna Srinivasan