This Ain’t Paris Sweetie: Exploring West African and French Identity in the Southern United States Journal Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • This autoethnography explores West African and French identity in the Southern United States. Seven short poems trace back a journey from West Africa and France to the American South and flesh out the contours of a transient and suspended self. A brown immigrant woman, my text reconstructs the embodied experience of racism and sexism in a small conservative community. Poetic prose helps to capture the elusive nature of a narrative, best expressed through fragmentary impressions. These bits written in half-dream state bring to life the folding and unfolding of identity/ies in a foreign land. They also offer a political and cultural reflection on racism, sexism, and immigration. Finally, because they open many windows to other narratives, they shed light on intertextuality in autoethnographic practice, through what I call the “Russian Dolls” metaphor.

publication date

  • December 1, 2010

Date in CU Experts

  • January 30, 2017 10:30 AM

Full Author List

  • Cruz J

author count

  • 1

Other Profiles

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 1077-8004

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1552-7565

Additional Document Info

start page

  • 792

end page

  • 800

volume

  • 16

issue

  • 10