The Affective Poetics of War in Emi Mahmoud’s Sister’s Entrance

The paper attempts to explore the affective representation of war in Sudanese American poet Emtithal (Emi) Mahmoud’s collection Sister’s Entrance (2018). In her debut collection, Mahmuod offers a poignant exploration of war’s emotional and psychological toll through the lens of a woman immigrant from Darfur. The poetry in this collection is not solely about the war in Darfur or Mahmoud’s experience during that time. It delves into the war, but it also highlights the repercussions of the war for her and her family. Such repercussions as displacement, becoming a refugee and eventually living with a hyphenated identity in a world that pays very little attention to her people’s suffering. The paper utilizes the theoretical framework of the “affective turn” which highlights the importance of viewing the body/individual’s existence in the world through its affective nature. Using affect theory to read Mahmoud’s poetry helps in illuminating aspects of the Sudanese war experience that relate not only to the poet’s experience as a Sudanese who lived through a civil war and became a refugee in exile, but also helps us understand how feelings of confusion, grief and hope are somewhat universal. Through the examination of Mahmoud’s poetry, the aim of the paper is to highlight the nuanced nature of the Sudanese war and offer a differentiated understanding of a war that is often underrepresented or misrepresented.