A Summary Of Double Consciousness

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In the period of globalization, migration is a common phenomenon. One of the emerging trend in literature is to present the dilemma of immigrant self which includes issues like gender, race, religion, education, language, codes of behaviour and cultural practices. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is a distinct South Asian writer with a well established position in literature. She belongs to the group of Indian writers who focus on postcolonial diasporic identity. As a writer, she has represented many genres such as poetry, short fictions, novels and essays. The experience of the immigrants in the United States forms the core of her fiction. Divakaruni stresses upon the concept of double consciousness in One Amazing Thing. The term, “Double Consciousness” was first used by W.E.B. DuBois in his book, The Soul of Black Folk. It is an individual’s feeling of having more than one social identity, which makes him/her difficult to develop a sense of self. Originally DuBois used this term in order to explain the minds of African-Americans living in the Southern United States. Today critics and researchers employ this term to bring out the in-between state or ‘two-ness’ felt by the characters. It is a study that promotes human understanding. Kulkarni quotes a passage from Lois Tyson to bring out how “Double Consciousness” is a feature in postcolonial Diaspora writing. Double Consciousness and Unhomeliness are the two features of postcolonial diasporas. Double Consciousness or

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