A woman of all times: A discourse-semiotic approach to André Brink’s Philida

Abstract

Novels as cultural products are the representatives of a society which has been configured with a variety of discourses. Being involved in perpetual discursive practices, these discourses are constantly attempting to hegemonize their desired meanings via utilizing discursive strategies to marginalize the competing discourses. With Philida, André Brink makes a strong statement on the formation of the identity and power of indigenous African women. He sheds lights on the discursive practices that a female black African slave depicts to not only to gain voice, but also to construct a solid identity and power. Pertaining to Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe’s notions in discourse theories, the authors of this paper analyze Philida to provide a new reading of the construction of a woman’s identity. Thereby, first we are going to discover the conflicting sub-discourses which have had impacts on the formation of the characters’ identity and power. Subsequently, since novels are the reflections of societies, we explore the major conflicting discourses in the actual society of South Africa. Finally, not only will we discuss Brink’s views on the identities of Afrikaners and the indigenous Africans, but also we argue women’s lower discourse has initiated to elevate during the timespan from slavery to post-apartheid era.

Keywords

• discourse
• discourse-semiotic analysis
• identity
• power
• foreground
• marginalize