Monster as Complicated Other: Teaching Intersectional Otherness and Positionality through Monstrousness and Monster Theory

Throughout cultural history the monster has always been a good vehicle for the creation of an abject other and the subsequent harm they experience that is justification because of their connection to monstrousness. Yet with the rise of cultural appreciation for the monstrous and anti-hero tropes in popular culture and media, might the monster and monster theory also become a teaching space to explore and engage differently with the monster? Might we ask why we construct monsters and how we might look differently at those who have been constructed to be monstrous? How might monster theory become a fruitful space to explore positively positionality, privilege, and intersectional otherness? How might using the construct of the monster and monster theory work as a space to upend early college students notions of prejudice and help to broaden their empathy and worldview, as well as their social and cultural awareness.