In the World, Outside the Limits : Comparison of Approaches to Cosmopolitanism in Patricia Park and Mira Jacob
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| Year of publication | 2020 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Citation | |
| Description | When considering immigrant and ethnic minority authors, the question of cultural identity arises. The traditional approaches to acculturation – assimilation, separation, integration (biculturality) and marginalization, as defined by John Berry (1997) – have been, however, abandoned recently as young generations tend towards finding their identity rather within global society, where the traditional approaches cannot be applied. The identity strategy drawn from this conception, cosmopolitanism, has been introduced to cultural studies and several sub-categories to it have already emerged. This paper thus seeks to explore the new worldview as it is captured in two recent novels by Asian American women, Re-Jane by Patricia Park (Korean American) and The Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing by Mira Jacob. Is it claimed that one’s acculturation is, due to cosmopolitanism, much less dependent on their parents’ culture as attitudes and strategies of the heroines of the two novels have much more in common than those of their parents. It is observed in a comparison of three generations portrayed in both works as they symbolically represent different approaches to acculturation and one’s position within global culture. Also, the nationality of original culture is considered and traced, as Indians and Koreans have a different attitude towards other cultures and global one as well. Finally, the paper shortly compares these recent authors to the portrayal of acculturation by their predecessors. |
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