In our postcolonial time, many novels have tackled and still tackle issues such as slavery, racism, belonging and identity. In this essay, we will mainly focus on one author that belongs to this wave, namely Caryl Phillips. He was born in St. Kitts, a Caribbean island, in 1958.1 He “came to Britain at the age of four months [...] and studied English Literature at Oxford University”.2 He is currently a well-known postcolonial writer whose works largely focus “on the legacy of the Atlantic slave trade and its consequences for the African Diaspora”.1 In this essay, we will analyze Phillips’ fourth novel, Cambridge3, which won the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award.1 We will deal with the issue of the identity of the slaves, especially with regards to naming. In fact, slaves were always given a new name by their owners. Thus, we will analyze the impact of this naming on the slaves’ identity and the ambiguity to which it can lead. However, we will first provide a definition of the concept of “identity”. Then, we will go through how naming was applied in the history of the slaves and what was its significance. Finally, we will undertake an analysis of two characters of Cambridge and focus on their identity with regards to their different names. In addition, we will refer to another recent postcolonial novel, namely The Long Song4 by Andrea Levy.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Definition of the concept of identity
3. Names of slaves during colonization
4. Analysis of Caryl Phillips’ Cambridge
4.1 Olumide: The lost identity
4.2 Tom: The transition period
4.3 David Henderson: The chosen identity
4.4 Cambridge: The hybrid identity
4.5 Christiana: The paradoxical name
5. Naming in The Long Song by Andrea Levy
6. Conclusion
Objectives and Research Themes
This essay explores the complex relationship between identity and the act of renaming slaves within postcolonial literature, specifically focusing on Caryl Phillips’ "Cambridge" and Andrea Levy’s "The Long Song". The research investigates how naming practices imposed by slave owners served as instruments of power, erasing original identities and forcing slaves into roles of subordination, transition, or hybridity.
- The impact of renaming on slave identity and self-perception.
- The correlation between historical naming practices and colonial power structures.
- Analysis of identity evolution through shifting names (Olumide, Tom, Henderson, Cambridge).
- The role of context and religion in the formation of hybrid or paradoxical identities.
Excerpt from the Book
Let us start with Olumide, which was Cambridge’s original name.
Olumide stems from Guinea and, at the age of fourteen, he was taken away from his family and his country to become a slave in England. During his journey on the ship, he was treated badly. Olumide considers that the brigands who took him “had possession of [his] body, if not [his] soul” (Cambridge, 135). He was in fact treated as an object rather than as a human being. He is thus devoid of his identity given that he is neither the master of his body nor of his own soul.
Moreover, he and the other slaves “were addressed by one common word, nigger, as though [they] all shared this harsh name” (C, 137). Consequently, this name deprives Olumide from his personal identity as he is assimilated to other people. In addition to him losing his actual name, he is forbidden to use his native language. And yet, language is a significant cultural reference that makes up someone’s identity. Thus, Olumide also loses this part of his identity. He even states that, concerning his early life, “[his] memory is no more” (C, 133). In other words, Cambridge does not recall his life as Olumide. If he has concealed this chapter of his life, it is because he has been forced to by his owners. Therefore, we can view Olumide as the lost identity of Cambridge.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: The introduction outlines the focus on Caryl Phillips and his novel Cambridge within the postcolonial context, emphasizing the research interest in naming as a mechanism that alters slave identity.
2. Definition of the concept of identity: This chapter provides a theoretical framework for identity, drawing on various philosophical and linguistic definitions to highlight the complexity of the term.
3. Names of slaves during colonization: This section explores the historical practices of slave naming, noting how owners used names to assert superiority and treat slaves as property or animals.
4. Analysis of Caryl Phillips’ Cambridge: This chapter conducts a detailed examination of the protagonist's name changes, tracking his journey from Olumide to Cambridge and the psychological impact of each moniker.
5. Naming in The Long Song by Andrea Levy: The analysis shifts to Andrea Levy's novel to compare the naming of the character July, focusing on the role of her mother and the influence of slave owners on her identity.
6. Conclusion: The conclusion synthesizes the findings, asserting that naming and context are decisive factors in the construction of an ambiguous or hybrid slave identity.
Keywords
Postcolonialism, Caryl Phillips, Andrea Levy, Slavery, Identity, Naming, Renaming, Cambridge, The Long Song, Hybridity, Colonization, Power, Displacement, Language, Religion.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this paper?
The paper examines how the act of renaming enslaved people during the colonial era served as a tool for deconstructing their original identities and enforcing new, often oppressive, identities.
What are the primary thematic fields addressed?
The study centers on postcolonial literature, the history of the slave trade, onomastics (the study of names), and the intersection of cultural identity with power dynamics.
What is the central research question?
The essay explores how slave owners used naming to assert superiority and how these names influenced, limited, or created hybrid identities for the characters in the novels.
Which scientific methodology is utilized?
The work employs a literary and analytical approach, combining textual analysis of the novels with theoretical definitions of identity and historical research on slave naming patterns.
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main body provides a definition of identity, reviews historical slave naming practices, analyzes the specific name shifts of the character Cambridge in Phillips' work, and contrasts these findings with the naming of the character July in Levy's novel.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
Key terms include Postcolonialism, Identity, Naming, Slavery, Hybridity, and Cultural displacement.
How does the author define the "lost identity" of the character Cambridge?
The author identifies "Olumide" as the lost identity, representing the protagonist's African origins and personal history that were systematically erased through his forced conversion and enslavement.
Why is the character Christiana's name considered paradoxical?
Her name suggests a Christian affiliation, yet she identifies as a pagan and practices obeah, creating a fundamental contradiction between her forced identity and her internal reality.
What is the significance of the character July being named by her mother in The Long Song?
Unlike other slaves named by their owners, July’s name was chosen by her mother who learned to write; however, the name itself carries the burden of slavery, symbolizing the inescapable nature of her status.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Marylise Thill (Autor:in), 2011, Caryl Phillips' "Cambridge" - The Ambiguity of a Slave’s Identity through (Re)Naming, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/188030
