Defining Hybridity: Frantz Fanon and Post-Colonialism in Louise Erdrich's Shadow Tag

Authors

Scott Morrison, University of Central FloridaFollow

Mentor

Dr. Pat Angley

Abstract

This essay focuses on issues of assimilation, identity, and hybridity as they apply to the Native American characters in Louise Erdrich's Shadow Tag. It interprets the stages of colonization, as proposed by Frantz Fanon, within the novel's storyline by focusing on the specific characterization of its three major characters: Irene, Gil, and Riel. These three characters metaphorically represent the players in a colonial system—the colonized subject, the colonizing force, and the generations of hybrids who result from colonization—in order to depict a truth about Native American identity in contemporary America. According to Fanon, the three phases of colonization are assimilation, rejection, and revolution, with the end result being a hybridized people. Gil colonizes Irene, Irene assimilates to Gil's image of her, Irene rejects Gil's influence, and Riel lives on as a hybrid of both of her parents' influences.

About the Author

Scott Morrison graduated from the University of Central Florida in May 2013 and received his B.A. in English with an emphasis on English literature and a minor in pre-law political science. His inspiration for "Defining Hybridity" stemmed from his mentor's contagious passion for Louise Erdrich and Native American literature, and it grew into a personal appreciation for Native American history, culture, and identity. He will pursue a J.D. at the Pepperdine School of Law in Malibu, CA in August 2014 and plans to focus on criminal law.

Recommended Citation

Morrison, Scott (2014) "Defining Hybridity: Frantz Fanon and Post-Colonialism in Louise Erdrich's Shadow Tag," The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal: Vol. 7: Iss. 1, Article 5.
Available at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/urj/vol7/iss1/5