Narrative nonfiction et immersion chez les subalternes : tensions éthiques

This paper explores the use of immersion strategies in extreme contemporary narrative nonfiction, by comparing several books by Gunther Wallraff ( Lowest of the Low: the Turkish worker in West Germany , 1985), Ted Conover ( Rolling Nowhere , 1984 and Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing , 2000), Barbara Erhenreich ( Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America , 2001) and Florence Aubenas ( Le Quai de Ouistreham , 2010). These clandestine investigations, with literary and informative goals and their metadiscursive treatment are considered from the angle of their moral implications. The paper also highlights how Emmanuel Carr & egrave;re's film adaptation of Aubenas' book ( Ouistreham , 2022) sheds light on the ethical stakes involved in these forms of passing, all of which take place in disadvantaged social environments. Despite the authors' intention to conduct a social critique and uncover society's impostures, their approach reactivates the question of whether subalterns can speak for themselves.