A Narrative of Exclusion

Abstract

The title of this chapter is descriptive of a process by which Simon and Lawrence and Elizabeth, in their roles as his parents, were incrementally segregated and eventually excluded from the Chesed community. The process of segregating Simon and his parents involved both conceptual and physical segregation. While many of the experiences that comprise this narrative were shared by Lawrence and Simon, this is Elizabeth’s story. She is the main speaker and the narrative follows her line of thought. It serves her purposes and represents her choices. The events she chooses to include and to focus on are expressive of the ways in which the overall experience has marked her. Also the specific experiences and categories of experiences she chooses to include are informed by her purposes as a storyteller. The context provided by my and her purposes behind our participation in this project strongly mediate the content. Therefore, the theme of this chapter, that it is a narrative of exclusion, is a co-construction of mine, in that I have chosen to frame it in this way, and also of Elizabeth, as it is her story. In this sense, we are co-authors.