Disabled Norms, Disaffected Us: Disaffection and Unfeeling in Salt Fish Girl

This paper examines Chinese Canadian writer Larissa Lai’s 2002 speculative novel Salt Fish Girl through the lens of Xine Yao's theorization of disaffection. This paper argues that the disaffection in Salt Fish Girl, which is marked as the characters' stench, reconfigures notions of agency, challenges dominant affective norms and opens pathways for reimagining diasporic identities and future resistance. Situating the discussion within the history of Chinese Canadian diaspora, the paper critiques conventional frameworks of sympathy as the universal human emotion authorized by systems of science and law and explores how Lai’s characters navigate exclusion and marginalization. Taking "rupture" as the keyword, the study discusses how biotechnology and legal restrictions in the novel are subverted, thus underscores how emotional detachment serves as a mechanism of resistance against white, male, capitalist systems. The analysis further investigates Lai’s thematic disruptions, connecting emotional anomalies to broader critiques of affective labor and the history of assimilation violence.
Keywords: disaffection, rupture, Chinese Canadian diasporic writing, Salt Fish Girl, olfactory study

Jekaterina Karelina (School of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Barcelona, Spain)
Interweaving the Sociology of Creativity and Sensory Studies: Insights from the Creative Writing Industry

This work intends to explore the intersection of sociology of creativity and sensory studies within the context of the creative writing industry. By examining how sensory experiences shape narrative construction, this report offers a comprehensive analysis of the dynamic interplay between societal influences and embodied perception in the production and reception of creative writing.
The object is to articulate the connections between these fields, identifying how societal structures and sensory elements converge to shape creativity in literary expression.
The analysis will incorporate sociological theories of creativity including Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of the cultural field and Howard Becker’s idea of art as collective action, and sensory studies like exploring the role of embodied perception and sensory metaphors in creative practices. The proposed report highlights the relevance of integrating sociology and sensory studies to enrich our understanding of creativity, particularly in literary domains. It provides valuable insights for academics, writers, and educators by showcasing how societal and sensory dimensions influence narrative techniques, thematic choices, and reader engagement.

Keywords: sociology of creativity, creative writing, creativity theories

Kathleen Sitter ∆ (Canada Research Chair in Multisensory Research and Knowledge Translation University of Calgary, Canada)
Multisensory Storytelling, Accessible Curation, and Disability Arts

Fractured Time: Sensory Dimensions of the Pandemic is a multisensory, 4-dimensional art installation created by neurodivergent artists and scholars from the fields of social work, community health, and architecture. Utilizing the sensory modalities of touch, sound, smell, and sight, the installation conveys the artists' lived experiences of the pandemic. This presentation examines the adaptation and curation of Fractured Time at three non-traditional venues—a hospital, a university, and a public library—each presenting unique accessibility challenges.
To address the balance between engaging sensory modalities and avoiding the dominance of visual- centric narratives, three phases for accessible curation are proposed: Isolate (falsely), Instruct, and Imagine. These phases are critically analyzed within the context of Fractured Time, providing practical insights into inclusive art practices.
The presentation also describes the participatory creative process, reflects on accessibility-related lessons learned from the three venues, and offers recommendations for enhancing sensory storytelling and accessible curation. By sharing these findings, this research seeks to advance best practices in accessible curation within contemporary Disability Arts, fostering opportunities for artists and audiences to engage with art in inclusive and meaningful ways.
Keywords: multisensory design, critical disability, arts, installation, curating