This article explores the use of a foreign language in Ottoman women’s autobiographical writings that first appeared between the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. By analysing the texts of these authors writing about the self outside of their “mother tongue”, this article addresses the issue of language – in this case English – as a negotiated space for one’s own multiple identities, both with local and Western audiences. In particular, it examines to what extent the choice, however conscious, of using a foreign language engenders an identity break, a separation of the author from the world in which her memories were originally produced. Furthermore, this article seeks to determine which traumas could motivate or arise from such a choice.
In una lingua che non è la mia: memoria, scrittura e separazione
D'AMORA, Rosita
2013-01-01
Abstract
This article explores the use of a foreign language in Ottoman women’s autobiographical writings that first appeared between the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. By analysing the texts of these authors writing about the self outside of their “mother tongue”, this article addresses the issue of language – in this case English – as a negotiated space for one’s own multiple identities, both with local and Western audiences. In particular, it examines to what extent the choice, however conscious, of using a foreign language engenders an identity break, a separation of the author from the world in which her memories were originally produced. Furthermore, this article seeks to determine which traumas could motivate or arise from such a choice.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
