Publicação
Weaving the Textual Self: Autobiographical Narratives of Contemporary African American Women
| Resumo: | The main focus of this doctoral Thesis is the construction of the Self through autobiographical narratives written by four contemporary African American women. The following autobiographies have been selected for the purpose: Audre Lorde’s Zami: A New Spelling of My Name (1982), Nina Simone’s I Put a Spell on You. The Autobiography of Nina Simone (1991), Faith Ringgold’s We Flew Over the Bridge. Memoirs of Faith Ringgold (1995) and Rebecca Walker’s Black, White and Jewish. An Autobiography of a Shifting Self (2001). At the heart of this academic investigation lies a study of the Self subjectively seen, imagined, and constructed in the narrative of autobiographies selected for the doctoral Thesis. The principal research question is: “How is the textual self constructed in the four autobiographies under examination?” The doctoral dissertation is supported by three axes, each of which constitutes the Thesis research sub-question and which is treated separately in dedicated chapter. Because the autobiographical narrative is a complex phenomenon which should be analysed from different angles, it has been decided that the three following axes will help understand better the four narratives proposed for this Thesis. The first axis focuses upon the individual “I” – the purpose of the research is to examine how four African American authors included in the corpus of the Thesis saw and wove their textual, individual self in the light of the Black community’s demands. It is analysed whether the autonomy of each woman must be negotiated against the communitarian rules and expectations and whether the authors display any critical stance in their narrative regarding their brethren. The second axis concentrates on the body. According to the feminist critique, any writing must be, obligatorily, embodied because human beings are and have bodies. They do experience the world through the body. The body can become a vessel for memory, it can become a text and the text can become a body. The present doctoral Thesis discusses the autobiographies in the corpus looking at how four women weave their textual bodies, if and how they negotiate the dignity and cultural relevance of their Black bodies in the world which still belittles and undervalues Black skin. The third axis is related to questions of affective relationships. Contrary to earlier theories of autobiography, self-narratives are not written in cultural and social vacuum. Autobiographies do mirror family and social relations and the Thesis examines how complex and complicated voices of Other(s) enter the four autobiographies and how significant Other(s) impact the way the autobiographers see themselves as individuals but also as part of the society. Collectively, these axes provide conclusive answers to the primary research question. The Thesis references recent autobiographical studies, standards, and findings. Within this context, the expected contribution of this research to current knowledge of the female autobiography is discussed. |
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| Autores principais: | Soares, Natalia Bozena Telega de Brito Jorge |
| Assunto: | Autobiography Narrative Self African american women Memory Body Autobiografia Narrativa Eu Mulheres afro-americanas Memória Corpo |
| Ano: | 2024 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | tese de doutoramento |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso aberto |
| Instituição associada: | Universidade Nova de Lisboa |
| Idioma: | inglês |
| Origem: | Repositório Institucional da UNL |
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