The Burden of Liveness: DACA Recipients and the Crime of Rhetoric
W23
Abstract
“The Burden of liveness” was described by Jose Munoz (1999) as the “need for a minoritarian subjects to ‘be live’ for the purpose of entertaining elites.” The concept of embodiment and (dis)identification are combined within what it means to exist in “liveness,” and illustrates the danger found within the rhetoric used to describe immigrant bodies. The term DREAMer has been used to name recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals; the DREAMer is blameless, and has earned their “American-ness” through high achievement and entrepreneurship. When not identified as DREAMers, recipients are identified as “illegals,” “animals,” and so forth. As DACA recipients seek to (dis)identify from these terms, they strive to overperform, and thus carry the burden of liveness. A secular conversion (Burke) in which DACA recipients are renamed in such a way that they can reclaim their humanity is necessary. As we move from the rhetoric of the Obama administration, to the Trump administration, and as immigration policy turns to extremes, including “zero tolerance” policy and the subsequent separation of families, a new rhetorical movement is needed. This presentation will analyze how the rhetorical effects on the DACA recipients’ body and person, and the real-world consequences of immigration rhetoric.
The Burden of Liveness: DACA Recipients and the Crime of Rhetoric
“The Burden of liveness” was described by Jose Munoz (1999) as the “need for a minoritarian subjects to ‘be live’ for the purpose of entertaining elites.” The concept of embodiment and (dis)identification are combined within what it means to exist in “liveness,” and illustrates the danger found within the rhetoric used to describe immigrant bodies. The term DREAMer has been used to name recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals; the DREAMer is blameless, and has earned their “American-ness” through high achievement and entrepreneurship. When not identified as DREAMers, recipients are identified as “illegals,” “animals,” and so forth. As DACA recipients seek to (dis)identify from these terms, they strive to overperform, and thus carry the burden of liveness. A secular conversion (Burke) in which DACA recipients are renamed in such a way that they can reclaim their humanity is necessary. As we move from the rhetoric of the Obama administration, to the Trump administration, and as immigration policy turns to extremes, including “zero tolerance” policy and the subsequent separation of families, a new rhetorical movement is needed. This presentation will analyze how the rhetorical effects on the DACA recipients’ body and person, and the real-world consequences of immigration rhetoric.