Diplomarbeit / Diploma Thesis
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DIPLOMARBEIT / DIPLOMA THESIS Titel der Diplomarbeit / Title of the Diploma Thesis “The Struggle for Identity in Contemporary American Immigrant Fiction: Aleksandar Hemon’s Nowhere Man (2002) and Wendy Law-Yone’s The Coffin Tree (1983)” verfasst von / submitted by Sejla Softic angestrebter akademischer Grad / in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Magistra der Philosophie (Mag.phil.) Wien, 2016 / Vienna, 2016 Studienkennzahl lt. Studienblatt / degree programme code as it appears on the student record sheet: A 190 299 344 Studienrichtung lt. Studienblatt / degree programme as it appears on the student record sheet: Lehramtsstudium UF Psychologie, Philosophie, UF English Betreut von / Supervisor: Univ.- Prof. Dr. Franz Karl Wöhrer EIG E NSTÄNDIGSK E ITS E RKLÄRUNG Ich, Sejla Softic, erkläre hiermit, dass ich die vorliegende Diplomarbeit eigenständig verfasst habe. Die für die Entstehung der Diplomarbeit verwendete Literatur wurde ausnahmslos im Literaturverzeichnis angegeben. 3 TABL E OF CONT E NTS INTRODU C TION ......................................................................................................7 I. TH E OR E TI C AL BA C KGROUND .............................................................................9 1.Culture ...........................................................................................................9 1.1. Definitions of Culture ................................................................................9 1.2. Globalization ............................................................................................11 1.3. Multiculturalism .....................................................................................13 1.4. Ideology ..................................................................................................14 1.5. Culture and Identity ............................................................................... 15 1.5.1. Habitus ............................................................................................. 15 1.5.2. Territory ...........................................................................................16 2. Identity ....................................................................................................... 17 2.1. Conceptions of Identity .......................................................................... 17 2.1.1. Strategic Use of Identity ...................................................................18 2.2. Identity and the Nation ..........................................................................19 2.3. Identity Functions ................................................................................. 20 3. Migration ...................................................................................................21 3.1. Definitions of Migration .........................................................................22 3.2. Reasons for Migration ............................................................................23 3.3. Acculturation ..........................................................................................24 3.3.1. Acculturation Strategies ..................................................................24 3.3.2. Psychological Acculturation and its Consequences ........................26 3.3.3. Individual Differences .....................................................................27 4. Immigrant Fiction .................................................................................. 28 4.1. History and Development ......................................................................29 4.2. Reception ...............................................................................................31 4.3. Themes, Motifs, Characteristics ............................................................32 4.4. Authors and Authenticity .......................................................................34 4.4.1. Dilemma ...........................................................................................34 4.4.2. Advantages and Disadvantages ......................................................35 4.5. Audience .................................................................................................37 II. LIT E RARY ANALYSIS ..........................................................................................39 5. Aleksandar Hemon’s Nowhere Man ..................................................39 5.1. Premise ...................................................................................................39 5.1.1. Aleksandar Hemon ...........................................................................39 5.1.2. Nowhere Man – The Pronek Fantasies ..........................................41 5 5.2. The Struggle for Identity in Aleksandar Hemon’s Nowhere Man .......42 5.2.1. Childhood and Upbringing ..............................................................43 5.2.2. The Struggle of Coming of Age ........................................................45 5.2.3. National Identity .............................................................................47 5.2.4. Nostalgia ..........................................................................................50 5.2.5. The Trauma of Displacement and Exile ..........................................54 5.2.6. Relationships ...................................................................................57 5.2.7. The Struggle of Reconstructing Identity .........................................57 5.2.8. Conclusion .......................................................................................59 6. Wendy Law-Yone’s The Coffin Tree ....................................................61 6.1. Premise ...................................................................................................61 6.1.1. Wendy Law-Yone .............................................................................62 6.1.2. The Coffin Tree ................................................................................63 6.2. The Struggle for Identity in The Coffin Tree .........................................64 6.2.1. Childhood and Upbringing ..............................................................65 6.2.2. Coming of Age and Self-Perception ................................................66 6.2.3. Religion & Nation ........................................................................... 68 6.2.4. Nostalgia ..........................................................................................70 6.2.5. Relationships ...................................................................................73 6.2.6. The Trauma of Displacement ..........................................................75 6.2.7. Reconstruction of Identity ..............................................................78 6.2.8. Conclusion .......................................................................................81 7. Comparison .............................................................................................. 82 CON C LUSION ...........................................................................................................85 BIBLIOGRAPHY .......................................................................................................87 ABSTRA C TS .............................................................................................................91 English Abstract ................................................................................................91 Deutsches Abstract ...........................................................................................92 6 INTRODU C TION Cultural and national variety has become a natural part of our world. Literature as one of the predominant expressions of human thoughts, emotions, feelings, fantasies and memories reflects this development. Immigrant literature is therefore more present and essential than ever and needs to be acknowledged outside of its niche. The following thesis analyzes the question of identity struggle in two works of contemporary immigrant fiction. Bosnian-American author Aleksandar Hemon and Burmese-American author Wendy Law-Yone have been chosen as representatives of the genre of immigrant fiction. Both authors have immigrated to the United States and chosen to compose their works in the English language. Hence they are considered part of the canon of immigrant literature. Hemon’s Nowhere Man and Law-Yone’s The Coffin Tree will server as primary texts in the analysis at hand. The thesis consists of a theoretical part, which will introduce the topics of culture, identity and migration, and an analysis, which will focus on the representation of the struggle for identity in Nowhere Man and The Coffin Tree. The theoretical section serves as a necessary foundation and introduction to concepts and definitions that are paramount for the subsequent analysis. First I will consider several conceptions of culture in connection to identity and ideology. The phenomenon of globalization and the notion of multiculturalism will necessarily be included. The second concept that will be introduced is identity. Here I will focus on how identity is constructed, transformed, used and how it is connected to nation, culture and human relations in general. This will be followed by an examination of the term migration, of reasons for migration and the connection to identity. Crucial to this thesis is how migration and the resulting displacement affects immigrants’ mental state, well-being and identity.