Identifying National Identities in Jabulani Mngadi’s Inaugural Novel, Imiyalezo

Abstract

This article aims to discuss national identities as depicted by Mngadi in his debut novel, Imiyalezo (1978). Affirming du Bois’ (1903) notion of the double consciousness and Anderson’s (1983) concept of ‘imagined communities’, the article contends that the national identities are not only a depiction of the idealised past but also the author’s wrestling with the present. Just like people generally remember the good old days when they face the bad new ones, these national identities are essentially hybrid in nature, representing both the past and the present. Rooted in the backdrop of the postcolonial theory and based on the textual approach of the qualitative research method, this article asserts that Mngadi is a postcolonial writer, he ‘writes back’, rights the wrongs of the past, as he attempts to reassert the somehow lost and threatened identities of his nation and in the process speaks on behalf of the subaltern. The article provides a deep understanding of identity issues in South Africa’s post-independence epoch, with reference to Mngadi’s debut novel, and locates the significance of this novel during colonial oppression and in post-independence.

Keywords: {'name': 'identities'}, {'name': 'idealised identities'}, {'name': 'national identities'}, {'name': 'hybridisation'}, {'name': 'double consciousness'}

Authors & affiliations

Dumisani Sibiya
Affiliation not supplied

Deposited references

Supplied references, not a list of publications citing this article.

Achebe, C. (1958). Things Fall Apart. Portsmouth, England: Heinemann.

Anderson, B. (1983). Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism. London, England: Verso.

DOI: 10.4324/9780203426081

Chiranjeevi, M. (2023). Exploring the Multifaceted Themes of Identity and Belonging in Contemporary English Literature. International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts, 11 (6), 583-593. Retrieved from: https://www.ijcrt.org

Conrad, J. (1902). Heart of Darkness. Edinburgh, Scotland: Blackwood’s Magazine.

Du Bois, W.E.B. (1903). The Souls of Black Folk. Chicago, IL: A.C. MacLurg & Co.

DOI: 10.1080/02572117.2001.10587462

DOI: 10.1515/9780822386650

Maphumulo, A.M. (2012). A Literary Onomastics Approach of Character Naming as Depicted in M.J. Mngadi’s Novel Titled, Iziboshwa Zothando. A paper presented at the 17th International ALASA Conference. Polokwane: University of Venda.

Mason, J. (2002). Qualitative Researching (Second Edition). London: SAGE Publications.

DOI: 10.2307/1160062

Mbembe, A. (2001). On the Postcolony. Berkeley, Cal: University of California Press.

Mngadi, M.J. (1978). Imiyalezo. Pietermaritzburg, South Africa: Shuter & Shooter.

Mngadi, M.J. (2001). Ifa Ngukufa. Pietermaritzburg, South Africa: Shuter & Shooter.

Mngadi, M.J. 2004. Iziboshwa Zothando. Sandton, South Africa: Heinemann.

DOI: 10.1080/10131758385310031

Ntuli, S.L. (2009). Ucwaningo Lwekhono Lokuchaza Emibhalweni Ka-Mngadi MJ. An Unpublished PhD Thesis. KwaDlangezwa: University of Zululand.

Oxford Learners’ Dictionary. The online version. Available at: https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/american_english/identity#:~:text=1%5Bcountable%2C%20uncountable%5D%20(,a%20case%20of%20mistaken%20identity. Accessed on 31 July 2023.

DOI: 10.1016/S0065-2601(06)38004-5

Sibiya, E.D.M. (2019). Isilulu Senzulu KaZulu. Alberton, South Africa: Sci-Tech-Maths Services.

Sibiya, E.D.M. (2021). Narrating the Nation: A Postcolonial Reading of Jabulani Mngadi’s Novels. Unpublished PhD Thesis. Johannesburg, South Africa: University of Johannesburg.

Siwela, S.O. (2015). Ukuguquka Kwesiko Kuveza Ukuhlukumezeka Kwabantu Besifazane Kubhekiswa Ezincwadini Ezingamanoveli Athi: Ifa Lenkululeko, Ifa Ngukufa. Pietermaritzburg, South Africa: University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Wa Thiong’o, N. (1986). Decolonising the Mind: The Politics of Language in African Literature. Nairobi, Kenya: East African Publishers.

DOI: 10.1080/02572117.2017.1316932