The representation of children in the contemporary black diasporic fictions

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K16790
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Literature in English
• Research Institution: Nihon University (2019); Mejiro University (2016-2018)
• Principal Investigator: Okajima Kei 日本大学, 経済学部, 准教授 (10710569)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 黒人文学 / 子ども / ポスト植民地主義 / パリンプセスト / 黒人ディアスポラ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study has examined the complex role of the black child protagonists who emerge so prominently in contemporary black diasporic fictions published from the 1970s to the early 21st century. In literatures published after mid-1960s when former European colonies achieved independence and African Americans successfully won Civil Rights, African and African American authors mobilized the figure of children as active agents that address the various issues of their national or cultural identities. Through the vigorous investigation of the four primary texts, this study has discovered that the black male and female children in these novels feature “palimpsestically” to restore memories and histories of their ancestors. In the context of the necro-political turn of contemporary world, their palimpsestic memories serve as great resources for them to use in order to survive, resist, and even execute revenge.

Free Research Field

英語圏文学、黒人文学、アメリカ文学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

子どもが主要な登場人物として描かれる作品は枚挙にいとまがない。しかし、本研究が行ったポスト植民地主義の文脈から英語圏黒人文学における子ども表象に特化した研究は驚くほど少ない。本研究で判明したとりわけ興味深い点は、黒人の子どもの登場人物が二重の歴史性を帯びる点である。すなわち、古くからある黒人＝子どもという植民地主義言説を意図的に照射し、これを転覆させながら、貧困や戦争、人種差別といった21世紀における新たな世界的問題をあぶりだしていくのだ。本研究の学術的意義は、英語圏黒人文学における子どもたちに付与されたこのような特質を浮かび上がらせた点にある。