Trauma of Displacement in NoViolet Bulawayo’s We Need New Names: A Post-colonial Critique

Abstract

This study presents a critical analysis of the trauma of displacement in NoViolet Bulawayo’s seminal work, We Need New Names. As a post-colonial author of the African-American diaspora, Bulawayo's novel serves as a vivid portrayal of life's hardships, particularly in the African area. The qualitative study, grounded in post-colonial theory, is instrumental in comprehending the novel's themes, particularly Bhabha’s concept of “hybridity,” which encapsulates the traumas of displacement of identity, culture, and language. Post-colonial literature, in its resistance to categorization, subjection, oppression, suppression, exploitation, and tyranny, often employs pastiche to create a questioning contrast between colonial and post-colonial culture. This study further explores the immigrant experience and the enduring impacts of colonialism through a post-colonial lens. The findings underscore the complexities of identity, culture, and language, while highlighting the resilience required to confront the effects of colonial domination.