'Toubab La!' Literary Representations of Mixed-Race Characters in the African Diaspora
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| Title: | 'Toubab La!' Literary Representations of Mixed-Race Characters in the African Diaspora |
|---|---|
| Description: | The book is an examination of mixed-race characters from writers in the United States, The French and British Caribbean islands (Martinique, Guadeloupe, St. Lucia and Jamaica), Europe (France and England) and Africa (Burkina Faso, South Africa, Botswana and Senegal). The objective of this study is to capture a realistic view of the literature of the African diaspora as it pertains to biracial and multiracial people. For example, the expression “Toubab La!” as used in the title, is from the Wolof ethnic group in Senegal, West Africa. It means “This is a white person” or “This is a black person who looks or acts white.” It is used as a metaphor to illustrate multiethnic people's plight in many areas of the African diaspora and how it has evolved. The analysis addresses the different ways multiracial characters look at the world and how the world looks at them. These characters experience historical, economic, sociological and emotional realities in various environments from either white or black people. Their lineage as both white and black determines a new self, making them constantly search for their identity. Each section of the manuscript provides an in-depth analysis of specific authors'novels that is a window into their true experiences. The first section is a study of mixed race characters in three acclaimed contemporary novels from the United States. James McBride's The Color of Water (1996), Danzy Senna's Caucasia (1998) and Rebecca Walker's Black White and Jewish (2001) reveal the conflicting dynamics of being biracial in today's American society. The second section is an examination of mixed-race characters in the following French Caribbean novels: Mayotte Capécia's I Am a Martinican Woman (1948), Michèle Lacrosil's Cajou (1961) and Ravines du Devant-Jour (1993) by Raphaël Confiant. Section three is about their literary representations in Derek Walcott's What the Twilight Says (1970), Another life (1973), Dream on Monkey Mountain (1967) and Michelle Cliff's Abeng (1995) from the British Caribbean islands. Section four is an in-depth analysis of their plight in novels written by contemporary mulatto writers from Europe such as Marie N'Diaye's Among Family (1997), Zadie Smith's White Teeth (2000) and Bernardine Evaristo's Lara (1997). Finally, the last section of the book is a study of novels from West African and South African writers. The analysis of Monique Ilboudo's Le Mal de Peau (2001), Bessie Head's A Woman Alone: Autobiographical Writings (1990) and Abdoulaye Sadji's Nini, Mulâtresse du Sénégal (1947) concludes this literary journey that takes the readers through several continents at different points in time. Overall, this comprehensive study of mixed-race characters in the literature of the African diaspora reveals not only the old but also the new ways they decline, contest and refuse racial clichés. Likewise, the book unveils how these characters resist, create, reappropriate and revise fixed forms of identity in the African diaspora of the 20th and 21st century. Most importantly, it is also an examination of how the authors themselves deal with the complex reality of a multiracial identity. |
| Authors: | Ginette Curry, Author |
| Resource Type: | eBook. |
| Subjects: | Fiction--20th century--History and criticism, Black people in literature, Multiracial people in literature, Fiction--Black authors--History and criticism |
| Categories: | LITERARY CRITICISM / American / General |
| Database: | eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) |
| FullText | Links: – Type: ebook-pdf Text: Availability: 0 |
|---|---|
| Header | DbId: nlebk DbLabel: eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) An: 539895 RelevancyScore: 1012 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: eBook PubTypeId: ebook PreciseRelevancyScore: 1011.53295898438 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: 'Toubab La!' Literary Representations of Mixed-Race Characters in the African Diaspora – Name: Abstract Label: Description Group: Ab Data: The book is an examination of mixed-race characters from writers in the United States, The French and British Caribbean islands (Martinique, Guadeloupe, St. Lucia and Jamaica), Europe (France and England) and Africa (Burkina Faso, South Africa, Botswana and Senegal). The objective of this study is to capture a realistic view of the literature of the African diaspora as it pertains to biracial and multiracial people. For example, the expression “Toubab La!” as used in the title, is from the Wolof ethnic group in Senegal, West Africa. It means “This is a white person” or “This is a black person who looks or acts white.” It is used as a metaphor to illustrate multiethnic people's plight in many areas of the African diaspora and how it has evolved. The analysis addresses the different ways multiracial characters look at the world and how the world looks at them. These characters experience historical, economic, sociological and emotional realities in various environments from either white or black people. Their lineage as both white and black determines a new self, making them constantly search for their identity. Each section of the manuscript provides an in-depth analysis of specific authors'novels that is a window into their true experiences. The first section is a study of mixed race characters in three acclaimed contemporary novels from the United States. James McBride's The Color of Water (1996), Danzy Senna's Caucasia (1998) and Rebecca Walker's Black White and Jewish (2001) reveal the conflicting dynamics of being biracial in today's American society. The second section is an examination of mixed-race characters in the following French Caribbean novels: Mayotte Capécia's I Am a Martinican Woman (1948), Michèle Lacrosil's Cajou (1961) and Ravines du Devant-Jour (1993) by Raphaël Confiant. Section three is about their literary representations in Derek Walcott's What the Twilight Says (1970), Another life (1973), Dream on Monkey Mountain (1967) and Michelle Cliff's Abeng (1995) from the British Caribbean islands. Section four is an in-depth analysis of their plight in novels written by contemporary mulatto writers from Europe such as Marie N'Diaye's Among Family (1997), Zadie Smith's White Teeth (2000) and Bernardine Evaristo's Lara (1997). Finally, the last section of the book is a study of novels from West African and South African writers. The analysis of Monique Ilboudo's Le Mal de Peau (2001), Bessie Head's A Woman Alone: Autobiographical Writings (1990) and Abdoulaye Sadji's Nini, Mulâtresse du Sénégal (1947) concludes this literary journey that takes the readers through several continents at different points in time. Overall, this comprehensive study of mixed-race characters in the literature of the African diaspora reveals not only the old but also the new ways they decline, contest and refuse racial clichés. Likewise, the book unveils how these characters resist, create, reappropriate and revise fixed forms of identity in the African diaspora of the 20th and 21st century. Most importantly, it is also an examination of how the authors themselves deal with the complex reality of a multiracial identity. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ginette+Curry%2C+Author%22">Ginette Curry, Author</searchLink> – Name: TypePub Label: Resource Type Group: TypPub Data: eBook. – Name: Subject Label: Subjects Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Fiction--20th+century--History+and+criticism%22">Fiction--20th century--History and criticism</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Black+people+in+literature%22">Black people in literature</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Multiracial+people+in+literature%22">Multiracial people in literature</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Fiction--Black+authors--History+and+criticism%22">Fiction--Black authors--History and criticism</searchLink> – Name: SubjectBISAC Label: Categories Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="ZK" term="%22LITERARY+CRITICISM+%2F+American+%2F+General%22">LITERARY CRITICISM / American / General</searchLink> |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=nlebk&AN=539895 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Classifications: – Code: 813.4 Scheme: ddc Type: prePub Languages: – Code: eng Text: English Subjects: – SubjectFull: Fiction--20th century--History and criticism Type: general – SubjectFull: Black people in literature Type: general – SubjectFull: Multiracial people in literature Type: general – SubjectFull: Fiction--Black authors--History and criticism Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: 'Toubab La!' Literary Representations of Mixed-Race Characters in the African Diaspora Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Ginette Curry, Author – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Ginette Curry, Author IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 01 Type: published Y: 2007 – D: 04 M: 02 Type: profile Y: 2014 Identifiers: – Type: isbn-print Value: 9781847182319 – Type: isbn-electronic Value: 9781443810715 Titles: – TitleFull: 'Toubab La!' Literary Representations of Mixed-Race Characters in the African Diaspora Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
