Oppression in the “Happy” Multicultural Land in Zadie Smith’s White Teeth

Year 2021, Volume: 38 Issue: 1, 248 - 258, 30.06.2021

Hale Küçük

https://doi.org/10.32600/huefd.795140

Abstract

Zadie Smith’s White Teeth (2000) is a complex and paradoxical work since it presents a portrayal of England in the late twentieth century employing characters from various racial and religious groups. The novel focuses on the relationships between three families: the Bangladeshi and Muslim Iqbals, the English-Jamaican Joneses, and the Jewish-British Chalfens. It depicts a multicultural society, yet it also reflects on the oppression experienced by certain characters, who are marginalized due to their differences from mainstream society. This raises the question whether Smith’s novel celebrates or criticizes the discourse of multiculturalism. This study considers the novel’s attitude towards multiculturalism through the representation of oppression. It aims to explore the theme of oppression with regard to the issues of race, religion, gender, and sexual orientation because these intertwined categories determine an individual’s sense of self and the social relations between different groups. In light of Tariq Modood’s conception of multiculturalism, which underlines the importance of some principles, such as the recognition of the other, positive difference, equality, and a more inclusive version of national identity, this study argues that the novel does not seem optimistic in its treatment of multiculturalism because various kinds of oppression, such as racial discrimination, violence, stigmatization, and indifference, haunt the lives of the marginalized or disempowered characters and trigger counter-attacks from the oppressed group. While impeding the other’s integration into society, this situation also poses a threat to the social order. This reveals that a multicultural society, which embraces all differences and cherishes this diversity, is a dream difficult to be realized in England as portrayed in the novel.

Keywords

Zadie Smith, White Teeth, multiculturalism, oppression, England

Zadie Smith’in İnci Gibi Dişler’indeki “Mutlu” Çokkültürlü Ülkede Baskı

Abstract

Zadie Smith’in İnci Gibi Dişler (2000) adlı romanı karmaşık ve çelişkili bir eserdir çünkü yirminci yüzyılın sonundaki İngiltere resmini çeşitli ırksal ve dinî gruplardan karakterler kullanarak sunar. Roman, üç aile arasındaki ilişkilere odaklanmaktadır: Bangladeşli ve Müslüman Iqbal, İngiliz-Jamaikalı Jones ve Yahudi-İngiliz Chalfen aileleri. Roman, çokkültürlü bir toplumu anlatmaktır, ancak toplumdan farklılığından dolayı dışlanan karakterlerin yaşadığı baskıya da değinmektedir. Bu, Smith’in romanı çokkültürlülük söylemini kutluyor mu, yoksa eleştiriyor mu sorusunu ortaya çıkarır. Bu çalışma, romanın çokkültürlülüğe karşı tutumunu baskının temsili üzerinden ele alır. Çalışma, baskı temasını ırk, din, cinsiyet ve cinsel yönelim bağlamlarında incelemeyi amaçlar çünkü bu iç içe geçen kategoriler bireyin benlik algısını ve farklı gruplar arasındaki sosyal ilişkileri belirler. Tariq Modood’un ötekini tanıma, pozitif farklılık, eşitlik ve daha kapsayıcı bir millî kimlik gibi bazı ilkelerin önemini vurgulayan çokkültürlülük kavramı ışığında, bu çalışma, romanın çokkültürlülüğü işleyişinde iyimser görünmediğini çünkü ırksal ayrımcılık, şiddet, damgalama ve görmezden gelme gibi çeşitli baskıların marjinal veya güçsüzleştirilmiş karakterlerin hayatlarını kâbusa çevirdiğini ve baskılanan taraftan da karşı ataklara sebep olduğunu öne sürer. Bu durum, ötekinin topluma entegrasyonunu engellerken, toplumsal düzeni de tehdit eder. Bu da, tüm farklılıkları kucaklayan ve bu çeşitliliği yücelten çokkültürlü bir toplumun romanda resmedilen İngiltere’de gerçekleşmesi zor bir rüya olduğunu gösterir

Keywords

Zadie Smith, İnci Gibi Dişler, çokkültürlülük, baskı, İngiltere

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