Loss Of Identity—spatial Interpretation Of Season Of Migration To The North

Tayeb Salih is a well-known writer in Sudan, and he is called the genius of Arabicnovels. The first contact of Sudanese literature with the outside world could be said tohave started with the works of Tayeb Salih. Season of Migration to the North is hisrepresentative work, this novel has gained much fame and admiration both in andoutside Sudan, and it is also appointed as one of the best100Arabic novels in20thcentury. The research on this novel is mainly focused on postcolonialism perspectiveinterpretation, psychological reading, comparison study with other works and culturalinterpretation, while few people have analyzed this novel spatially.This thesis will use spacial theory with Homi Bhabha’s mimicry theory to interpretSalih’s Season of Migration to the North to explore Mustafa’s loss of identity with thechange of space.The thesis is divided into four chapters. The first chapter is an introduction to theauthor Tayeb Salih and the novel Season of Migration to the North; it also gives ahistorical review on the studies of Season of Migration to the North made by foreignand domestic critics from various perspectives; finally it introduces the space theoryapplied to this thesis that mainly focuses on Lefebvre’s spacial theory, at the same timeit also introduces Homi Bhabha’s mimicry theory to view that mimicry disturbs theconstruction of identity of the colonized. Chapter two analyzes the open space, namely,Khartoum,London and an obscure village in Sudan. Chapter three centers on thedomestic space, in other words, the individual space of Mustafa. Chapter four is theconclusion part, this thesis combines identity with space, analyzes Mustafa’s loss ofidentity from spatial criticism. With the change of such spaces as Khartoum, Londonand an obscure village of Sudan, Mustafa fails to find appropriate position. The foreigneducation background and his obsession with western culture lead to Mustafa’s mimicryto the west, while, mimicry deprives him of his authentic image. Under the doubleimpact of “north” and “south”, there is nowhere for Mustafa to get rid of his loss ofidentity, which seels his tragic fate.