This thesis explores an account through the creative artefact of the writing subject. It does so in two ways. The first is by thinking about the subject of and through life writing, arguing that a fruitful way of addressing notions of personal identity might, to a significant extent, be achieved through the lens of a radical subjectivity derived from forms of contemporary heterodox Marxism. The second way is to apply this concept of the subject to forms of knowledge creation implied by the institutional arrangements pertaining to creative research in the contemporary academy. The somewhat fragmented creative artefact in this thesis pursues these twin themes, not only through addressing ways in which ‘autobiography’ may be understood, but also in terms of the broader search for knowledge. It seeks to challenge poststructuralist understandings which often construe identity as a construct primarily shaped by external forces. Instead, it proposes a radical form of subjectivity that emphasizes the centrality of the subject in critiquing capitalist social relations. The thesis suggests that this concept of radical subjectivity provides an opportunity to challenge and expand the understanding of creative research within traditional academic frameworks, particularly by exploring the connections between theory and practice. Creative research has the capacity to resist the limitations imposed by conventional research methodologies and the neoliberal policies and intellectual hegemonies that shape higher education. An alternative and radical subjectivity enables a critique of prevailing orthodoxies and is potentially transformative. The thesis also addresses some of the challenges and contradictions inherent in integrating creative practice and research into academic settings by critiquing the academic tendency to separate creative work from traditional academic research, and by advocating for a more flexible approach that better reflects creative practice’s complexities and diversity. This approach emphasizes the role of creative research as a powerful site of resistance within the academy with the potential to yield more authentic expressions of creative-practice-derived knowledge.
Resistance and imagination: writing/radical/subjectivity
STRANGE, S. (Author). 2025
Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis