Toni Morrison's Beloved and Other Unspeakable Texts from Different Margins by Keri Hulme and Lindiwe Mabuza

Abstract

Some of the debates around counter-hegemonic strategies employed in postcolonial fictional discourses, are used to explore how the "unspeakable" experiences of marginal­ized people are translated into "speakable" texts. The purpose of a comparative study of texts from North America, New Zealand and South Africa is to "connect" attempts to textualize suppressed histories in different postcolonial contexts -with a special emphasis on minorities within these countries and the discursive production of "post-essentialist" identities. It is argued that reading these works through attempts to theorize ''Third World" literature provides a useful method to circumvent the pitfalls of reproducing imperialist practice such as associated with European postmodernism.

Opsomming

Sommige debatte wat rondom die teen-hegemoniese strategiee in die postkoloniale letterkundige diskoerse gevoer word, word gebruik om te verken hoe die "onuitspreeklike" ervaring van gemarginaliseerde persone omgesit word in "uitspreekbare" tekste. Die oogmerk van 'n vergelykende studie van tekste uit Noord-Amerika, Nieu-Seeland en Suid-Afrika is om die pogings om die onderdrukte geskiedenisse in verskillende postko­loniale kontekste te tekstualiseer, in verband met mekaar te bring - met spesiale beklemtoning van die minderhede in hierdie lande en die beredeneerde voortbring van "post-essensialistiese" identiteite. Daar word geredeneer dat die lees van hierdie werke in pogings om "Derde Wereld"-letterkunde te teoretiseer, 'n bruikbare metode verskaf om die slaggate van die reprodusering van die imperialistiese praktyk soos die waarmee die Europese postmodernisme geassosieer word, te omseil.