Displacement and (un)belonging: the pathways of diasporic women in Small Island, Kehinde and Brick Lane

Abstract

This dissertation aims to analyse the sense of displacement and the search for belonging of the protagonists from the novels Small Island (2004a), by Andrea Levy, Kehinde (1994) by Buchi Emecheta and Brick Lane (2003), by Monica Ali, in the context of post-colonial London. Hortense, Kehinde and Nazneen migrate to London for different reasons, from former British colonies (Jamaica, Nigeria and Bangladesh, respectively) and at distinct moments in history. In Small Island, Andrea Levy focuses on the settling of the Windrush generation in England after the Second World War. In Kehinde, Buchi Emecheta depicts the difficulties faced by African women trapped in traditional roles in a patriarchal structure. In Brick Lane, Monica Ali exposes the challenges of the diasporic experience for a woman who moves from Bangladesh to London through an arranged marriage. The characters’ experiences of dislocation and adaptation are directly affected by issues related to gender, race, class, and ethnicity as important identity constituents. Texts by theorists Avtar Brah, James Clifford, Sandra Almeida and Susan Friedman, among others, are used to investigate the nature of the gendered diaspora and its articulation with spatial and temporal elements. The overlapping of postcolonialism and feminism is examined by looking at the works of scholars such as Elleke Boehmer, Deepika Bahri, Chandra Mohanty and Gayatri Spivak. The crucial role played by the city of London in the narratives – considering the distinct time frames – is also analysed, with a focus on the complexity of the processes of cultural and social changes that the city has undergone since the intensification of migratory movements, especially after the Second World War. Texts by Doreen Massey and Saskia Sassen are covered in order to investigate the effects of diasporic and globalization processes on the spatial configuration of the city of London. The three novels engage in exploring London’s multicultural aspects, revealing a history of discrimination, resistance, transformation and creativity. Definitions of multiculturalism and cosmopolitanism are articulated together with an overview of exclusionary migratory policies that have been adopted in Britain. Such restrictive measures have reflected the discriminatory and racist mindset in contemporary British society. The fluid character of identities is another aspect that can be observed in the journeys of the three protagonists. Texts by Stuart Hall and Zygmunt Bauman are studied and related to the narratives. This dissertation also resorts to the concept of emotional geographies, as it is developed by Joyce Davidson and Christine Milligan. By revealing how the protagonists’ dislocations affect their sense of being in the world, these narratives transgress the boundaries of geographical belonging, placing movement, instability, and the process of becoming at their core