TRANSITIONAL IDENTITIES IN DIASPORA: FLUID SELFHOOD IN ANDREADES’ BROWN GIRLS (2022)

Abstract

Diaspora has changed the concept of cultural individuality by generating multicultural societies and leading to the formation of hybrid identities. “Diaspora literature has emerged as a significant area of literary studies, reflecting the experiences of migration, exile, displacement, and resettlement across geographical and cultural boundaries” (Mathur, 2024, p. 20). Therefore, this study aims to examine the dynamics of transitional identities and fluid selfhood in Daphne Palasi Andreades’ Brown Girls, situating the novel within the diasporic experiences of second-generation immigrants in Queens, New York. Drawing on Stuart Hall’s conceptualization of identity, the study explores how the characters of the selected fiction navigate the complex intersections of race, ethnicity, gender, and cultural expectation, negotiating belonging in a society characterized by systemic inequities and racialized hierarchies. Brown Girls by Daphne Palais Andreades presents a powerful examination of diasporic experiences by the interwoven lives of young women growing up in Queens, New York. The novel portrays identity as an ongoing, dynamic process rather than a fixed construct, emphasizing the tension between inherited cultural legacies and contemporary urban realities. By illustrating how transititional identities spring from diaspora.and how diasporic subjects craft hybrid identities that are simultaneously resilient and mutable, the study not only sheds light on diasporaic experiences, but also adds to the existing body of knowledge within diasporic studies.