L’altérité et la construction de l’identité analysées à l’aide de la focalisation dans La Lézarde et La case du commandeur d’Édouard Glissant

Othering and construction of identity analysed through focalisation in Edouard Glissant’s la Lézarde and La case du commandeur

In English

Författare

Marit Jongepier

Summary, in English

The present thesis focuses on how Edouard Glissant uses othering as a tool while constructing an Antillean identity in two of his works, La Lézarde and La case du commandeur. The proposed identity is more suitable for the confusing reality lived by the Antillean people, consisting of the intertwining of a French culture on the one hand and a creole and African culture on the other. The analysis is based on a selection of excerpts of the two books and aims at a deeper understanding of the use of different strategies of othering for the construction of identity. The theoretical framework consists of Genette’s focalisation and Glissant’s philosophical heritage, as explained in Traité du Tout-Monde. It is concluded that the main goal of the Antillean literature is to create a collective identity for the French West Indies by overcoming othering on a smaller level, i.e., between the different social groups within the French West Indies, thus needing to express othering on a bigger scale, underlining the differences between France and the French West Indies.

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