How Liminal Identities Engage Imaginary Spaces in Contemporary Settings

Abstract

My sister and I grew up in Perth amidst racism in the 1980s. Our family was divided between Asian and European values. When my sister became ill as a young woman, some doctors diagnosed her with a mental illness, while others diagnosed her with controversial physical diseases. After 13 years of this, she euthanized herself with a drug bought online. This PhD is a memoir that charts how our family dealt with these contradictions. The accompanying exegesis interrogates the precarious nature of identity amidst competing narratives.