Portrayal of Hybridity in Selected Novels of Azouz Begag

Abstract

Hybridity and identity have been recurring features of postcolonial literature, including the works of Azouz Begag. Existing studies on Begag’s novels have focused mainly on racism, the experiences of migrants and generational gaps, with little attention paid to the representation of hybridity and identity crisis. This study is, therefore, designed to examine the depiction of hybridity and identity crisis in selected novels of Azouz Begag, with a view to determining the categories of hybridity and manifestations of identity crisis. This paper has adopted the French Explication de texte, which allows a close and thorough analysis of the selected novels used in this study. The postcolonial theory concept of hybridity is used as the theoretical framework. The portrayal of hybridity in the selected novels of the author is carried out as categorised by Ashcroft, Griffiths and Tiffin (1998:118) in order to highlight its effect on the formation of identity of the characters in the novels.