Migrasie en verplasing in Anderkant die stilte (André P. Brink), De reis van de lege flessen (Kader Abdolah) en Idil, een meisje (Tasmine Allas) : 'n genderbeskouing

Abstract

Migration and the concomitant crossing of borders is a growing world wide theme in literature. This phenomenon can be attributed to growing mobility and globalisation which allow people to move freely across national borders. Mobility is a key concept for the 21st century and can be used as an umbrella term for the crossing of borders and migration, also connecting with concepts such as displacement, diaspora, nomad, travel, exile and (post)colonialism. Migration as demographic phenomenon does not only include the borders of countries but also social, cultural, psychological and language borders. Memory as border can be added to this since it acts as a link between time and space. The crossing of (national) borders also holds certain consequences, amongst others the problem of origin and identity, outsidership and/or marginalization as well as the experience of loss. Two novels which can be classified as migrant literature – Idil, een meisje (Yasmine Allas) and De reis van de lege flessen (Kader Abdolah), and one novel which explores the problem of migration thematically – Anderkant die stilte (André P. Brink) – are analysed in this dissertation. Idil, een meisje (Yasmine Allas) portrays a female perspective by a female migrant writer, while De reis van de lege flessen (Kader Abdolah) offers a male perspective by a male migrant writer. Anderkant die stilte (André P. Brink) adds an additional dimension to gender analysis since a female perspective is portrayed by a male writer. These three novels, one from Afrikaans and two from Dutch literature, will be analysed to determine the manifestation of migration and displacement and the outcome(s) thereof with emphasis on gendered experience in these literature texts.