The White Nation in Crisis: A Fanonian Reading of Sevdalinka Concerning Colonial Violence and Identity Crisis

Abstract

Inspired by Frantz Fanon’s Black Skin, White Masks, this study focuses on the process of postcolonial imitative identity construction that results in fragmentation among colonized people in Sevdalinka, a novel by Ayşe Kulin. Fanon’s theory extensively analyzes the erasure of identity experienced by colonized people and the psychological crises that result in fragmented selves, emerging from futile efforts to attain recognition, and validation. The process of modeling contributes to the colonizers’ sense of superiority and, in turn, intensifies their tyranny. Fanon initially criticizes the oppressed for being unaware of their incoherent conditions as well as their estrangement from their authentic selves. The perspectives of Adler, Freud, Bhabha, Ngũgĩ, and Achebe will significantly contribute to this study, as they align with and deepen the theoretical framework of Fanon. Kulin’s Sevdalinka offers a profound exploration of Bosnians’ experiences of love, the desire for recognition, and the loss of authenticity within the context of Bosnia’s tumultuous history. In the disintegration of Yugoslavia, Bosnians are subjugated, particularly by Serbs, who seek independence while demanding Bosnians’ assimilation and alienating them. Bosnians are also marginalized and even targeted for possessing distinct religious identities, perceived as Croats by Catholics and as Serbs by Orthodox Christians, yet belonging to neither. The characters adopt their oppressors’ lifestyle, with minimal traces of Islamic tradition. The protagonist, Nimeta’s illicit relationship with a Croatian, emotional distance from her children, and disapproval of her mother’s conventional lifestyle demonstrate her estrangement from Bosnian Islamic identity. Through the protagonist and her family, the novel sheds light on how identities are shaped, fragmented, and ultimately diluted.