Female Bicultural Identity in Michelle Cliff's Novel Abeng: A Postcolonial Study

Yıl 2024, Cilt: 4 Sayı: 8, 209 - 219, 27.12.2024

Ghazal Mansoor Alsakkaf , Sameer Mohammed

https://doi.org/10.69787/bitigefd.1491352

Öz

This study aims to investigate the issue of the female identity crisis that appeared as a result of the intersection of two distinct cultures during the postcolonial era. To accomplish this objective, the renowned novel Abeng, authored by the American-Jamaican writer Michelle Cliff, has been chosen for analysis. The sample undergoes postcolonial analysis with a focus on biculturalism as a postcolonial phenomenon. The study is a descriptive one, which aims to qualitatively follow the behavior of the main protagonist in the novel "Abeng", Clare Savage. It attempts to determine to what extent her character can be considered an example of a woman who loses her identity as a result of the colonial legacy of bicultural identity. According to the analysis, Clare has become a victim of biculturalism. This means that she is constantly searching for her identity without being able to identify with any specific culture. Throughout the texts, Clare is portrayed as being lost, which leads her to embrace two different cultures and go with the flow.

Bu çalışma, postkolonyal dönemde iki farklı kültürün kesişmesi sonucu ortaya çıkan kadın kimliği krizini incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Bu amaca ulaşmak amacıyla Amerikalı-Jamaikalı yazar Michelle Cliff'in yazdığı ünlü roman Abeng analiz için seçilmiştir. Örneklem, postkolonyal bir olgu olarak iki kültürlülüğe odaklanan postkolonyal analize tabi tutuluyor. Çalışma, "Abeng" romanının baş kahramanı Clare Savage'ın davranışlarını niteliksel olarak takip etmeyi amaçlayan tanımlayıcı bir çalışmadır. Onun karakterinin, iki kültürlü kimliğin sömürge mirasının bir sonucu olarak kimliğini kaybeden bir kadına ne ölçüde örnek olarak görülebileceğini belirlemeye çalışıyor. Analize göre Clare iki kültürlülüğün kurbanı oldu. Bu onun herhangi bir kültürle özdeşleşemeden sürekli olarak kimliğini aradığı anlamına gelir. Metinler boyunca Clare'in kaybolmuş bir kişi olarak tasvir edilmesi onun iki farklı kültürü kucaklamasına ve akışına bırakmasına neden olur

Anahtar Kelimeler

Postcolonial literature, Bi-cultural identity, Bi-culturalism, Abeng

Teşekkür

Thank you so much for your great efforts in advance.

Female Bi-cultural Identity in Michelle Cliff ‘s Novel Abeng: A Post-colonial Study

Öz

Bu çalışma, postkolonyal dönemde iki farklı kültürün kesişmesi sonucu ortaya çıkan kadın kimliği krizini incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Bu amaca ulaşmak amacıyla Amerikalı-Jamaikalı yazar Michelle Cliff'in yazdığı ünlü roman Abeng analiz için seçilmiştir. Örneklem, postkolonyal bir olgu olarak iki kültürlülüğe odaklanan postkolonyal analize tabi tutuluyor. Çalışma, "Abeng" romanının baş kahramanı Clare Savage'ın davranışlarını niteliksel olarak takip etmeyi amaçlayan tanımlayıcı bir çalışmadır. Onun karakterinin, iki kültürlü kimliğin sömürge mirasının bir sonucu olarak kimliğini kaybeden bir kadına ne ölçüde örnek olarak görülebileceğini belirlemeye çalışıyor. Analize göre Clare iki kültürlülüğün kurbanı oldu. Bu onun herhangi bir kültürle özdeşleşemeden sürekli olarak kimliğini aradığı anlamına gelir. Metinler boyunca Clare'in kaybolmuş bir kişi olarak tasvir edilmesi onun iki farklı kültürü kucaklamasına ve akışına bırakmasına neden olur.

This study aims to investigate the issue of the female identity crisis that appeared as a result of the intersection of two distinct cultures during the postcolonial era. To accomplish this objective, the renowned novel Abeng, authored by the American-Jamaican writer Michelle Cliff, has been chosen for analysis. The sample undergoes postcolonial analysis with a focus on biculturalism as a postcolonial phenomenon. The study is a descriptive one, which aims to qualitatively follow the behavior of the main protagonist in the novel "Abeng", Clare Savage. It attempts to determine to what extent her character can be considered an example of a woman who loses her identity as a result of the colonial legacy of bicultural identity. According to the analysis, Clare has become a victim of biculturalism. This means that she is constantly searching for her identity without being able to identify with any specific culture. Throughout the texts, Clare is portrayed as being lost, which leads her to embrace two different cultures and go with the flow.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Postcolonial literature,, bi-culturalism,, bi-cultural identity,, Abeng,, Postkolonyal edebiyat, İki kültürlülük, İki kültürlü kimlik, Clare Savage

Kaynakça

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• Al-Sakkaf, Ghazal Mansoor (2023). “Female Self-determination in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre and Laila Aboulea’s the Translator”, Epiphany Journal of Transdisciplinary Studies, 16(1), 114-31. http://dx.doi.org/10.21533/epiphany.v16i1.419.g291.
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