Negotiating Meta-Black Identity as Postcolonial Hybridity in Claudia Rankine's "Coherence in Consequence”
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25130/Lang.10.1.P1.13Keywords:
Black identity, Claudia Rankine, Coherence in Consequence, Cultural diversity, HybridityAbstract
This study adopts a postcolonial framework to examine how Claudia Rankine addresses the complexity of Black identity and cultural diversity in her poetry, with a focus on her acclaimed collection Citizen: An American Lyric. Through the lens of postcolonial concepts such as hybridity, the Third Space, and cultural negotiation, the research investigates how Rankine challenges rigid definitions of Blackness. Her portrayal of identity is neither fixed nor singular; rather, it emerges as fluid and multi-dimensional, shaped by intersections of race, gender, migration, and belonging.
By utilizing hybrid poetic forms, fragmented narratives, and vivid imagery, Rankine exposes the realities of systemic racism, everyday microaggressions, and the lasting effects of colonial histories. Her poetry not only critiques these structures of power but also offers space for rethinking Black identity as something evolving, relational, and resistant to simplification.
This study adds something new by focusing on Claudia Rankine's poem "Coherence in Consequence", a piece that has received little critical attention. By examining this specific poem, the research gives space to a lesser-known part of her work and shows how it contributes to important discussions about identity, race, and belonging in postcolonial literature.
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