《家族》中的無家與異質空間: 黛娜的時空之旅和自我與家的重建

Abstract

本文藉著霍米．巴巴的無家和米歇爾．傅柯的異質空間來分析《家族》(1979)中身分、性別與種族的存在與問題。這本小說透過空間與時間的差異反映美國文化中不應被遺忘的內戰前黑人歷史以及一直存在且被視為理所當然的種族議題。 第一章概述本文的核心論點、《家族》故事背景和概要、文獻回顧、及理論取向。此外，本文探討章節之間的關係，從無家和異質空間的概念檢視這本書所觸及美國黑人在現今社會和早期奴隸時期所面臨的問題。儘管現今社會的黑人看似享有和白人相同的人權和法律保護，但是社會和文化傳承下來的歧視和身分危機尚未消失。本文透過兩個相差一百多年的時代和東西兩岸不同的時空，藉由相同議題的比較來描述書中角色的轉變和成長。 論文的第二、三、四章則探討主角如何穿越時空回到過去祖先時代的馬利蘭州，由過去的歷史與創傷再度開啟而產生的無家感和異質空間進而討論黛娜、凱文和其他角色各自經歷以及意識到種族與性別認同以及異化的問題；最後討論他們如何尋求解決之道，達到自我與家的重建。

Employing Homi Bhabha’s theory of “unhomely” and Foucault’s theory of “heterotopias”, this thesis will analyze the existence and troubles of identity, gender and race within Kindred. Through temporal and spatial differences, the American antebellum South’s black’ history and racial issues that have been forgotten will then be reflected. The first chapter will introduce the core arguments, background and summary of Kindred, literature review, and the theoretical approaches. The afore-mentioned theories are employed to speculate this novel in order to reveal the similarities between the issues which both contemporary blacks and the slaves of the antebellum South face. Even though contemporary blacks seem entitled to the same human rights and protected by the laws as the whites, discrimination and identity crisis that are inherited socially and culturally have not disappeared yet. The relations between the chapters will also be analyzed to investigate the characters’ transformation and growth over one hundred years through different locations. The second, third, and fourth chapters will investigate how the protagonist Dana returns to her ancestor’s epoch through time-travel during which the re-enactment of history and trauma triggered the unhomely and heterotopias. Dana, Kevin and other characters became conscious of racial and gender identity, and alienation troubles. Furthermore, this thesis will analyze the protagonists’ reconstruction of identity and home.