"Toubab La!" Literary Representations of Mixed-race Characters in the African Diaspora

The book is an examination of mixed-race characters from writers in the United States, The French and British Caribbean islands (Martinique, Guadeloupe, St. Lucia and Jamaica), Europe (France and England) and Africa (Burkina Faso, South Africa, Botswana and Senegal). The objective of this study is to capture a realistic view of the literature of the African diaspora as it pertains to biracial and multiracial people. For example, the expression â oeToubab La!â as used in the title, is from the Wolof ethnic group in Senegal, West Africa. It means â oeThis is a white personâ or â oeThis is a black person who looks or acts white.â It is used as a metaphor to illustrate multiethnic peopleâ (TM)s plight in many areas of the African diaspora and how it has evolved. The analysis addresses the different ways multiracial characters look at the world and how the world looks at them. These characters experience historical, economic, sociological and emotional realities in various environments from either white or black people. Their lineage as both white and black determines a new self, making them constantly search for their identity. Each section of the manuscript provides an in-depth analysis of specific authorsâ (TM) novels that is a window into their true experiences. The first section is a study of mixed race characters in three acclaimed contemporary novels from the United States. James McBrideâ (TM)s The Color of Water (1996), Danzy Sennaâ (TM)s Caucasia (1998) and Rebecca Walkerâ (TM)s Black White and Jewish (2001) reveal the conflicting dynamics of being biracial in todayâ (TM)s American society. The second section is an examination of mixed-race characters in the following French Caribbean novels: Mayotte CapÃ(c)ciaâ (TM)s I Am a Martinican Woman (1948), Michèle Lacrosilâ (TM)s Cajou (1961) and Ravines du Devant-Jour (1993) by Raphaël Confiant. Section three is about their literary representations in Derek Walcottâ (TM)s What the Twilight Says (1970), Another life (1973), Dream on Monkey Mountain (1967) and Michelle Cliffâ (TM)s Abeng (1995) from the British Caribbean islands. Section four is an in-depth analysis of their plight in novels written by contemporary mulatto writers from Europe such as Marie Nâ (TM)Diayeâ (TM)s Among Family (1997), Zadie Smithâ (TM)s White Teeth (2000) and Bernardine Evaristoâ (TM)s Lara (1997). Finally, the last section of the book is a study of novels from West African and South African writers. The analysis of Monique Ilboudoâ (TM)s Le Mal de Peau (2001), Bessie Headâ (TM)s A Woman Alone: Autobiographical Writings (1990) and Abdoulaye Sadjiâ (TM)s Nini, Mulâtresse du SÃ(c)nÃ(c)gal (1947) concludes this literary journey that takes the readers through several continents at different points in time. Overall, this comprehensive study of mixed-race characters in the literature of the African diaspora reveals not only the old but also the new ways they decline, contest and refuse racial clichÃ(c)s. Likewise, the book unveils how these characters resist, create, reappropriate and revise fixed forms of identity in the African diaspora of the 20th and 21st century. Most importantly, it is also an examination of how the authors themselves deal with the complex reality of a multiracial identity.