Postcolonial Diaspora and the Literature that Emerges

By Rian Jasmine Quiban

History is cyclical. To be or not to be? To conquer or to be conquered? Empires have ruled and wreaked havoc since the dawn of time. People get pushed out of their homes, and their culture gets washed away. There There, by Tommy Orange, is one story, though not the first, that describes a postcolonial diaspora.

Through the research of my final intertextuality project, I learned about various empires and the colonial legacies they have left behind. The new texts I found showed me that the diasporic experience following conquests varies vastly from person to person. Whether it be a "woe is me" poem or a more positive reflection about the effects of colonization, writing seems to be one way to find comfort in the uncomfortable feeling of forced exile. Writing lets writers find some semblance of understanding in their identity struggle between their home country and their new one.

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