Eurasiatica Quaderni di studi su Balcani, Anatolia, Iran, Caucaso e Asia Centrale

Collana | Eurasiatica
Miscellanea | Armenia, Caucaso e Asia Centrale
Capitolo | Narrating Identity

Narrating Identity

Identity Construction and Fragmentation in German Sadulaev’s Ja – čečenec! and Šalinskij rejd

Abstract

The collapse of the Soviet Union and the Chechen wars were for German Sadulaev, a writer of Chechen origin, the starting point for a broad reflection on identity and nationality in the post-Soviet era. This paper aims to scrutinise how issues related to identity are addressed in two works by the author, the collection of short stories Ja – čečenec! [I Am a Chechen, 2006] and the novel Šalinskij rejd [The Raid on Shali, 2010]. Specific attention is paid to the role that narratives play in the considered works. In this respect, the paper first considers ethnicity/nationality as a narrative construct. Then, it deals with fragmentation of identity self-narrative as the consequence of the collapse of the Soviet Union. Finally, it considers the act of narrating as an attempt to hold together collective and personal identities.


Open access | Peer reviewed

Presentato: 15 Marzo 2021 | Accettato: 22 Luglio 2021 | Pubblicato 21 Dicembre 2021 | Lingua: en

Keywords Russophone LiteratureNationalismTrauma and Memory StudiesPostcolonial StudiesCollective MemoryGerman SadulaevPost-Soviet LiteratureChechnya


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