Date of Award:

5-2026

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Arts (MA)

Department:

English

Committee Chair(s)

Jennifer Sinor

Committee

Jennifer Sinor

Committee

Benjamin Gunsberg

Committee

Beth Buyserie

Abstract

This thesis is a collection of creative nonfiction essays examining what it means to belong. Multiple factors of belonging are explored, including belonging in human relationships, belonging to oneself, and feeling a sense of belonging to a physical place. Each essay contains three cohesive narratives—called “strands”—which are woven together to form a single essay. These strands include the author’s personal experiences, site visits conducted by the author, and various research topics. The personal experiences explore the author’s relationship to belonging contextualized by his pure obsessive-compulsive disorder. The site visits recount the author’s experiences in natural and community-oriented places. The research strands address various research topics and their connection to aspects of belonging. The collection explores subjects including OCD, parental abuse, mental well-being and suicide, environmentalism, collective judgement, and film to shed light on what it means to belong.

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