Praising a Global Identity in Nadine Gordimer’s &amp;lt;i&amp;gt;The Pickup&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;

Djaha N’De Tano

doi:10.4236/als.2019.74011

Abstract

The article attempts to explore, in Nadine Gordimer’s The Pickup, the collision between different identities through the love between Julie, a white South African woman and her husband Abdu also called Ibrahim, a muslim Arab. With regard to postcolonial theories which envisage flattening the post-colonial legacy, Gordimer promotes a global identity beyond the tribe, by taking into account issues of globalization, cross cultural and transracial identities that have changed the identical structure of the New World. Moreover she demonstrates that the force of identity is pervasive enough to transcend binaries and move freely in and out of spaces. The article supports that the beauty of a culture lies on the changing and the flexible nature of identity rather than a fix one.

Highlights

From colonialism to date, the African continent, South Africa, has gone through many events that have impacted the course of its entire history
With regard to postcolonial theories which envisage flattening the post-colonial legacy, Gordimer promotes a global identity beyond the tribe, by taking into account issues of globalization, cross cultural and transracial identities that have changed the identical structure of the New World
The article supports that the beauty of a culture lies on the changing and the flexible nature of identity rather than a fix one

Summary

Introduction

The African continent, South Africa, has gone through many events that have impacted the course of its entire history. In the works of South African writers such as Brink (1979) and Coetzee (1977) one can witness a cross or a globalizing view of identity This article aims at casting a glance, through Homi Bhabha and Stuart Hall’s post-colonial posture and their theories of hybridity, at the new perception of the notion of identity that Gordimer displays in The Pickup. According to their theory, a cross-cultural marriage like that of Abdu and Julie is a factor creating in-between or third space identities and cultural diversity in the current era of globalization. The article will first discuss about fix identity in general and secondly show how Gordimer promotes a global identity beyond the tribe, by taking into account issues of globalization, multiculturalism that have changed the structure and the face of the New World

Fix or Authentic Identity

Rethinking Gbobal Identities beyond Tribes

Conclusion