A New Interpretation of Double Consciousness: The Case of Wole Soyinka

Abstract

This study argues that double consciousness as a sociopsychological situation manifests in various ways under colonial and postcolonial circumstances. Although W.E.B. Du Bois introduced the concept of double consciousness at the beginning of the twentieth century to describe an inward feeling of doubleness experienced by African American individuals, this concept has inspired postcolonial theorists such as Homi K. Bhabha, Stuart Hall, and Paul Gilroy. Hence, this study will briefly explain the contemporary theoretical reflections of Du Bois’s concept of double consciousness, demonstrating how this concept can be handled with a more contemporary and comprehensive perspective and exemplifying this through the plays of Nigerian playwright Wole Soyinka. Examples have been selected from Soyinka’s Death and the King’s Horseman, The Lion and the Jewel, and The Invention. These plays show various manifestations of double consciousness as a condition involving a double-sided interaction between the colonizer and the colonized. Each play reveals a different aspect of double consciousness with its expanded and updated meaning in this study.

Keywords

• double consciousness
• postcolonial
• cultural positioning
• Soyinka
• Du Bois

Çifte Bilinçliliğe Yeni Bir Yorum: Wole Soyinka Örneği

Abstract

Bu çalışma, sosyopsikolojik bir durum olarak çifte bilinçliliğin kolonyal ve postkolonyal şartlarda çeşitli şekillerde dışa vurduğunu savunur. W.E.B. Du Bois çifte bilinçlilik kavramını 20. yüzyılın başında Afrikalı Amerikalı bireylerin içsel ikilik hissini tanımlamak üzere ortaya atmış olsa da bu kavram, Homi K. Bhabha, Stuart Hall ve Paul Gilroy gibi postkolonyal kuramcılara ilham kaynağı olmuştur. Dolayısıyla bu çalışmada Du Bois’in çifte bilinçlilik kavramının günümüzdeki kuramsal yansımaları ana hatlarıyla anlatılarak bu kavramın daha güncel ve kapsamlı bir bakış açısı ile ele alınabileceği gösterilmiş ve bu bakış açısı Nijeryalı yazar Wole Soyinka’nın oyunları üzerinden örneklendirilmiştir. Çalışmada Soyinka’nın Death and the King’s Horseman (Ölüm ve Kralın Süvarisi), The Lion and the Jewel (Aslan ile Mücevher) ve The Invention (İcat) isimli oyunlarından örnekler verilmiştir. Bu oyunlar sömürgeci ile sömürülen arasındaki çift taraflı etkileşimleri içeren bir durum olarak çifte bilinçliliğin çeşitli şekillerde dışavurumlarını göstermektedir. Her bir oyun, teorik açıdan bu çalışmada genişletilmiş ve güncelleştirilmiş anlamıyla çifte bilinçliliğin farklı bir yönünü ortaya koymaktadır.

Keywords

• çifte bilinçlilik
• postkolonyal
• kültürel konumlanma
• Soyinka
• Du Bois

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