Study on the Identity Reconstruction of African Immigrants in Americanah from the Perspective of Diaspora

Abstract

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is one of the most famous female writers in Nigeria. She combined her personal experience to create Americanah which tells the life experiences of Nigerians in the United States, showcasing her thoughts on identity issues of African immigrants. Since the publication of Americanah, academia has engaged in rich discussions to explore the reasons for the identity crises of the protagonist, especially from the perspectives of post-colonialism, post-colonial feminism, and transculturalism. However, these studies rarely mention the possibility of the protagonist reconstructing their hybrid identity in multiple cultural contexts. Therefore, this paper employs relevant theories of post-colonialism to explore the reasons for African immigrants’ identity crises from the perspective of diaspora. Furthermore, the paper demonstrates the struggling state of African immigrants adhering to traditional culture while striving to integrate into American society by analyzing their psychological condition and social problems in the United States. Finally, the paper applies Homi K. Bhabha’s hybridity theory to illustrate the process of identity reconstruction of African immigrants and reveals the important ways for them to realize identity reconstruction. This inspires the diaspora in contemporary globalization to unite together to participate in cross-cultural communication, overcome identity difficulties, and actively explore living space.