The Study Of Cultural Identity In The Known World

The content of The Known World is the most sensitive in the history of American blacks.It is unprecedented in the novel that not only white slave-owners,but also black slave-owners have plantations and black slaves.The author found a hidden situation that the slavery in American history is complicated.Edward · P ·Jones,an American black author,has a blend of identities.His novel has typical characteristics of post colonialism.Identity is a hot issue in black culture.The study of identity has great realistic significance.Studying from the visual angle of cultural identity in post colonialism theory can make us find the meaning and know the cultural identity of Jones.The essay includes five chapters.The first chapter is introducing the Edward · P · Jones and his novels,the current research status,studying theories and methods.The second chapter is from the background of American history and cultural circumstance,discussing the historical reason of the cultural identity confusion of American black in the North and putting the cultural identity in it.The factors of the cultural identity of the black are cultural hegemony,colonial trauma and their out-group status.The third chapter is studying the realistic factors of the characters’ cultural identity,which is from family,individual and society.The hero didn’t live with his family when he was young.This made him have no race-consciousness.At the same time,influenced by the mainstream culture of the white,he finally got different identities.He had to clarify one cultural identity to be accepted.The forth chapter is analyzing how the characters build their cultural identities and the result of their building.The way of totally assimilated into the white and abandoning black culture is unsuccessful.On the contrary,the black women slaves look for common memories and self-identity by analyzing the black inner culture.They finally find their own identities.The last chapter is the epilogue.Jones describes the living status of American black.His novel reflects perverted life of the black because of the colonial system,racism and cultural hegemony.He exposes the dark history of American black.Jones not only discloses the unfair social system,but also calls on the black to looking for their basic culture,rebuilding national consciousness,eliminating racism and healing the black’s heart.The final goal is to realize an equal dialogue and development of multi-cultures.