Document Type
Praxis
Abstract
How do we bridge the perceived divide between the study of humanities in our Jesuit universities and the real-world problems that surround our campuses? Jacques Derrida’s “hauntology" offers us a compelling way to move between the classroom and life, to guide our students through the Universal Apostolic Preferences of “To walk with the poor, the outcasts of the world, those whose dignity has been violated, in a mission of reconciliation and justice” and “To accompany young people in the creation of a hope-filled future.” This article offers a framework for combining literary analysis, historical inquiry, and creative writing in an effort to reframe and reignite our work in the humanities through a focus on acknowledging the sins of the past before envisioning present (and future) justice. Through analyses of haunted literature like Toni Morrison’s Beloved and imagining the “ghosts” that haunt the spaces in and around our campuses, we live out our Jesuit mission to create “Men and women for others” who are deeply aware of both past and present suffering and thus well positioned to engage in the creation of a “hope-filled future.”
Recommended Citation
Phillips, Emily A..
"Living the Humanities: Ghosts, Literature, & Social Justice."
Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal Vol. 14:
No.
2
(2025)
.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15365/2164-7666.1513
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/jhe/vol14/iss2/8
Included in
American Literature Commons, Modern Literature Commons, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Commons
