Visions of a New Britishness: Race, Class, and History Público

Abstract

Abstract

Why is it important to explore the exclusion of black British individuals in the 21st century? Some would say that in an age where London houses millions of immigrants, black individuals are very much part of a British national identity. However, by looking at the representation and illustration of racial exclusion in Hanif Kureishi's The Buddha of Suburbia and Zadie Smith's White Teeth, it becomes clear that the historic exclusion of black individuals has persisted in British culture in a way that is unlike any other country. This paper is committed to exploring the ways in which both Kureishi and Smith's novels work to expand the existing essentialized narrative of history. This is expansion is a way of creating space where black individuals are included into a national identity. By looking at the literary and structural aspects of each novel, we can see what an inclusive Britishness might look like for both authors. While the analysis of these novels does not totally push these de-racialized spaces into fruition, they certainly take steps toward visualizing a future in which racial differences are not at the forefront of identity creation.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Introduction ......... 1

Chapter 1: Return to Sender....... 9
A Compilation of Certain Narratives ...... 14
Pamphlet Propagations of A Shared Experience ...... 18
An English Education and the Privileged Narrative ...... 28
Fill in the Blank .............. 38
Past in Present .............. 47

Chapter 2: A Plurality of Identity ...... 49
The Evolution of a New Kind of Englishman ....... 52
Tracey versus Karim: A Black and White Reality?............... 54
In Pursuit of the English Rose ........ 60
Like Looking in the Mirror ............ 64
A Pluralistic Approach .............. 69

Conclusion..................................................................... 70

Works Cited .............. 71

About this Honors Thesis

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School	Emory College
Department	English
Degree	BA
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Literature, General
Palavra-chave	black British literature
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Allewaert, Monique, Emory University
Committee Members	Elliott, Michael A, Emory University Sanders, Mark, Emory University

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