Postkolonyal Edebiyatta Dini Kimlik

Religious Identity in Postcolonial Literature

This study basically aims to question the possibilities of reaching social
reality through fictional texts. The novel as a literary genre is determined
as the focus of the study and the concept of religious identity
is tried to be examined through this genre. In this respect, centering
upon the postcolonial literature and postcolonial novel, Hanif Kureishi’s
Black Album and Zadie Smith’s White Teeth are chosen as sample texts.
Through the characters in these novels, what kind of differences the
religious identities of immigrant individuals may contain between generations
is revealed. In this context, it is observed that first-generation
immigrants tend to preserve their religious identities while the religious
identities of second-generation immigrants tend to be radicalized by being
transformed. The study aims to trace these differences regarding the
religious identities of immigrant individuals by using narrative and discourse
analysis methods within the scope of qualitative research. Thus,
the analysis of the novels is carried out with reference to the key concepts
of identity theories and postcolonial theory which gained importance,
especially in the second half of the 20th century. At this point,
the study is tried to be concluded by focusing on the concepts of Manuel
Castells within the scope of identity theories, and Gayatri Chakravorty
Spivak and Homi Bhabha within the scope of postcolonial theory.

Keywords: Sociology of Religion; Sociology of Literature; Postcolonial
Literature; Religious Identity; Postcolonial Theory; Novel