A NEW IDENTITY IN THE DIASPORA: CHIKA UNIGWE’S ON BLACK SISTERS’ STREETAND MEG VANDERMERWE’S ZEBRA CROSSING

Chinenye Vivian Uzoh

Abstract


Diasporic  literature  centres  on  experiences  of  people  who  leave  their  homelands  for  various reasons  and  still  retain  ties  with  their  home  country.  The  diasporic  journey  has  resulted  in identity  crisis  as  the  migrants  strive  to  assimilate  the  culture  of  the  host  countrywhile  still retaining attachments to their homelands. It is against this backdrop that this paper examines how identities of diasporic beings take on new dimensions in host environments using Chika Unigwe’s On  Black  Sisters’  Streetand  Meg  Vandermerwe’s Zebra  Crossing.  The  paper places emphasis on the theme of identity crisis and identify formation that has been one of the major concerns of many postcolonial writers.  This paper concludes that within the course of the characters dislocation, they grapple with the problem of alienation and will go on to form new identities known as diasporic identity while striving to be accepted into the mainstream culture.

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References


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