A Bhabhaian Post-colonial Study Of Cultural Identity In Morrison’s Three Novels

The identification of cultural identity of ethnic minorities in the context of globalization has gradually become the core issue in various fields in recent years for its complicated social and historic significance and political natures,the humanities and social sciences in particular.As a multicultural theory directly dealing with the colonial relationship in the current academia,the post-colonial theory is dedicated to the study of the political differences and the cultural conflicts between western countries and the diaspora ethnic minorities of the third world.The post-colonial critic Homi K.Bhabha is always concerned about the ethnic minorities? cultural identity demands and its predicament of identity rebuilding.Accordingly,the issue of cultural identity construction has become the focus of his post-colonial theory,and meanwhile,it has always been the main theme in the writings of the first African American winner of Nobel Prize in Literature,Toni Morrison.In the light of Bhabhaian post-colonial theory,and through the intensive textual reading and comparative analysis of Toni Morrison?s three novels---The Bluest Eye,Song of Solomon and Beloved,this thesis attempts to explore the continuity and variability in the cultural identity reconstruction of the three Afro-American protagonists from different social stratums and under different social historical backgrounds in the view of the colonized.It discusses the interaction of a series of factors such as self-identification,familial love and cohesive force of the black communities in the black subjectivity reconstruction,presents us how Afro-Americans deconstruct the colonial binary opposition and the white cultural hegemony,and reconstructs a hybrid but more open and healthier black cultural identity in Bhabhaian third space.This thesis presents the horizontal and vertical comparative studies on the different ways of the unsuccessful,incomplete and hybrid cultural identity reconstruction of the three protagonists,and summarizes multiple factors affecting the black cultural identity reconstruction.It comes to the conclusion that the Afro-Americans? cultural identity reconstruction in the post-colonial context is a continuous,dynamic,and changing process.By deconstructing the white cultural hegemony,challenging the previous constant and unitary definition of identity,Morrison re-establishes a brand-new dynamic mechanism of colonial discourse,reconstructs a new heterogeneous,fluid,negotiated and hybrid cultural identity in Bhabhaian third space and achieves the discourse expression of the colonized.Combining Bhabhaian post-colonial theory with the black cultural identity,this thesis reconstructs the true image of the Afro-Americans by deconstructing the paradox of western colonial discourse.The research methods and conclusions in this thesis may offer certain supplements and impact for the existing studies on ethnic minorities.In addition,the studies on the Afro-American literature in the context of globalization can not only help us better understand the current global immigration problems,the identity crisis and dilemma in particular,but also urge us to make self-examination and learn how to seek common points while reserving differences,hence,this study is of great practical significance.