The cultural identity of the diasporic subject in Um defeito de cor

Abstract

Diasporic subjects undergo an identity reconfiguration resulting from cultural exchanges. Based on theories about identity and, in particular, on the concept of cultural identity, this study proposes the analysis of the novel Um Defeito de Cor, by Ana Maria Gonçalves, whose protagonist is an ex-slave, who was captured as a child in the Dahomey is sent to Brazil. This novel can be considered as a neo-slave narrative, as defined by Ashraf Rushdy (1999), that is, a contemporary narrative that adopts some strategies from the first reports of former slaves, but brings up issues that resonate in today's world.