OTHERNESS AND CONTEMPORANEITY OF IDENTITIES IN BLACK FEMALE AUTOBIOGRAPHY AT THE TURN OF THE 21st CENTURY

Abstract The Self-concept in postmodern autobiographies evolves from the solid stable entity of the traditional societies, to the subtle depth of the romantic era, the fragmentation of modernism and ultimately the plurality, contingency and migratory nature of the postmodern times. Along with the self-concept, identity also appears as multidimensional and inseparable from its facets. The multivocality of identity recognises female subjectivity as explored in terms of dualisms including body, memory, location and linguistic dualisms. The body wavers between the materiality of the I and its contextual surroundings, the sense of location celebrates transition and fluidity, and, ultimately, memory goes hand in hand with the negation of historicity making language appear as a dysfunctional bond between words and realities. The dimension of Otherness unfolds through the protagonist’s relationship to matrilineal heritage, the ancestral line as well as through the genderism and colourism preconceptions. The feelings of alienation and dislocatedness are so present in postmodern subjects that they consider themselves unfulfilled and truncated whenever the fluid, transitional ingredient is missing from their lives. The following paper takes a close look to two 21st century black autobiographies written by female writers namely Audre Lorde’s Zami: A New Spelling of my Name and hooks’ Bone Black Memories of Girlhood from the perspective of the unique and common, unifold and manifold intertwining of the dimension of postmodern Self, Otherness, matrilineal, genderism, colourism and finally, memory and location. The methodology of the paper consists in adopting a comparative approach based on desk qualitative research and interpretative approach to literature. The paper supports the hypothesis that in postmodern times, the self, especially the ethnic self comes as inseparable from the Other be it Otherness to be found in matrilineal, family ancestral heritage, memory and historicity or othering one’s body. Keywords: Self; Otherness; Plurality; Contingency of identities.