White is For Witching: A Postcolonial Gothic

Reyhan Özer Taniyan

Article Details

White is For Witching: A Postcolonial Gothic

Authors:

Reyhan Özer Taniyan

Publisher:

Manisa Celal Bayar University

Main Topics:

İngiliz ve İrlanda Dili | Edebiyatı ve Kültürü

Journal:

Manisa Celal Bayar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi Vol.21 Issue 2, pp.321-331

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2023

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001291838

pISSN:

1304-4796

Keywords:

Abstract:

 In White is for Witching 2009, Helen Oyeyemi defamiliarizes traditional narratives, subverts the classical doctrines and inserts recent issues. Although her novels are mostly read within the scope of gothic literature, she introduces ethnic mythology and folklore that provide myriad perspectives. As well as incorporating the traditional gothic features, Oyeyemi draws from the cultural motifs of her Nigerian roots to highlight the recurring patterns of immigration, coexistence, and integration in English history. Using the vocabulary and the pattern of gothic narration, the novel constructs a postcolonial story to question the xenophobic tendencies of the English nation as a legacy of the colonial era that endures today through immigration policies. Therefore, in this article, I read the novel as a postcolonial gothic criticising the xenophobic concerns of pure white Englishness against racial others and immigrants labelled as invaders of English identity through the elements of cultural gothic.

 In White is for Witching 2009, Helen Oyeyemi defamiliarizes traditional narratives, subverts the classical doctrines and inserts recent issues. Although her novels are mostly read within the scope of gothic literature, she introduces ethnic mythology and folklore that provide myriad perspectives. As well as incorporating the traditional gothic features, Oyeyemi draws from the cultural motifs of her Nigerian roots to highlight the recurring patterns of immigration, coexistence, and integration in English history. Using the vocabulary and the pattern of gothic narration, the novel constructs a postcolonial story to question the xenophobic tendencies of the English nation as a legacy of the colonial era that endures today through immigration policies. Therefore, in this article, I read the novel as a postcolonial gothic criticising the xenophobic concerns of pure white Englishness against racial others and immigrants labelled as invaders of English identity through the elements of cultural gothic.

 In White is for Witching 2009, Helen Oyeyemi defamiliarizes traditional narratives, subverts the classical doctrines and inserts recent issues. Although her novels are mostly read within the scope of gothic literature, she introduces ethnic mythology and folklore that provide myriad perspectives. As well as incorporating the traditional gothic features, Oyeyemi draws from the cultural motifs of her Nigerian roots to highlight the recurring patterns of immigration, coexistence, and integration in English history. Using the vocabulary and the pattern of gothic narration, the novel constructs a postcolonial story to question the xenophobic tendencies of the English nation as a legacy of the colonial era that endures today through immigration policies. Therefore, in this article, I read the novel as a postcolonial gothic criticising the xenophobic concerns of pure white Englishness against racial others and immigrants labelled as invaders of English identity through the elements of cultural gothic.

 Helen Oyeyemi, Beyaz Cadı Avında 2009, geleneksel anlatıları yabancılaştırır, klasik doktrinleri alt üst eder ve eserine gündemi ekler. Romanları daha çok gotik edebiyat kapsamında okunsa da etnik mitoloji ve folkloru da içine alarak sayısız bakış açısı sağlar. Oyeyemi, geleneksel gotik özellikleri birleştirmenin yanı sıra, İngiliz tarihinde tekrar eden göç, bir arada yaşama ve entegrasyon modellerini vurgulamak için kültürel motiflerinden de yararlanır. Gotik söz dağarcığını ve anlatım modelini kullanan roman, İngiliz ulusunun yabancı düşmanı eğilimlerini, günümüzde göç politikalarıyla devam eden sömürge döneminin bir mirası olarak sorgulamak için sömürge sonrası bir hikaye inşa eder. Bu nedenle, bu makale, romanı, kültürel gotik unsurları aracılığıyla İngiliz kimliğinin işgalcileri olarak etiketlenen ırksal ötekilere ve göçmenlere karşı saf beyaz İngilizliğin yabancı düşmanı endişelerini eleştiren bir postkolonyal gotik olarak yorumlamaktadır.

Article Details

White is For Witching: A Postcolonial Gothic

Authors:

Reyhan Özer Taniyan

Publisher:

Manisa Celal Bayar University

Main Topics:

İngiliz ve İrlanda Dili | Edebiyatı ve Kültürü

Journal:

Manisa Celal Bayar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi Vol.21 Issue 2, pp.321-331

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2023

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001291838

pISSN:

1304-4796

Helen Oyeyemi

xenophobia

Gothic

SoucouyantHelen Oyeyemi

Yabancı Düşmanlığı

Gotik

Cadı Vampir

Issues

Article Details

Authors: Reyhan Özer Taniyan

Publisher: Manisa Celal Bayar University

Main Topics: İngiliz ve İrlanda Dili | Edebiyatı ve Kültürü

Journal: Manisa Celal Bayar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi Vol.21 Issue 2, pp.321-331

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 6/2023

Document Language: English

Document ID (Org No.): 2001291838

pISSN: 1304-4796

Issues

Authors:

Reyhan Özer Taniyan

Publisher:

Manisa Celal Bayar University

Main Topics:

İngiliz ve İrlanda Dili | Edebiyatı ve Kültürü

Journal:

Manisa Celal Bayar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi Vol.21 Issue 2, pp.321-331

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2023

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001291838

pISSN:

1304-4796