Rethinking identity with second-generation Italian female writers

Abstract

This article explores the impact of second-generation Italian female writers in the post-structuralist and post-colonial debate, analysing 'India' and Ruben by Gabriella Kuruvilla and 'Sausages' by Somali-Italian author Igiaba Scego. It will be argued that these three texts deconstruct the essentialist idea of identity as the expression of an individual's or community's inner core traditionally promoted by Western societies to justify hierarchical and oppressive social organisations, configuring themselves as a tool to rethink identity. 'India', 'Ruben', and 'Sausages' reveal the social nature of identity, showing that what we are results from complex social processes.