Hybridity: Solution For Co-existence

Leslie Marmon Silko (1948-), one of the most important and influential NativeAmerican writers, has made great contribution to Native American Renaissance forher wide range of works. This thesis investigates Indian people’s quest for harmoniousco-existence in the Thirdspace in Silko’s Gardens in the Dunes through the lens ofspatial criticism.The first chapter provides introduction to the novel and the theory basis of thethesis. The first part is an introduction to Leslie Marmon Silko and Gardens in theDunes (1999), in which the plot and the influences of the novel are presented. Then,there is an introduction to spatial criticism, which mainly focuses on Henri Lefebvre,Michel Foucault and Edward Soja.The second chapter focuses on the contradictory spatial practice of NativeAmerican and Euro-American settlers. Native Americans believe in the harmoniousco-existence between nature and human beings so they respect and protect nature;while Euro-American settlers, deeply influenced by anthropocentrism, exploit natureto its maximum for their fortune. These contradictory spatial practice lead to differentoutcomes, in which tribal people regain their hope for a better future while whitepeople lose themselves in their nature conquering projects.The third chapter explores the power relations in the representation of space.With the investigation of the displacement and replacement of tribal people, this part aims to reveal the political aspect of the seemingly innocent space. And those whostruggle for their individual space finally get to the lived space, where the significanceand meaning of being oneself is celebrated.Thus, the fourth chapter shows the lived space, where real and imagined spacesmixed together. Taking Ghost Dance as an example for lived space, this part revealshow Indian ceremonies provide them the perfect experience of space. The hybrid ofreal and imagined spaces enables Indian people to regain their tribal space andrediscover their beliefs and hope for a better future.Since power relations exist in the process of space production, the study of spacewill enhance people’s understanding of the recurrent theme of the novel. That ispeople are supposed to co-exist harmoniously in the hybrid space. The arbitrarybinary opposition of “wild” and “civilized” is irrelevant to the demarcation of races,genders and classes. With the investigation of different spatial aspects in the novel, thethesis comes to the conclusion that hybridity is the only solution for the co-existenceof human beings.