Identity Crisis In Leila Aboulela’s The Kindness Of Enemies: A Sociological And Cultural Perspective

Abstract

Recently, identity became a noteworthy notion to be considered by numerous academics in disciplines such as social science and humanities. This paper focuses on the nature of cultural identity which has been the preoccupation of sociologists and Cultural Studies’ scholars like Stuart Hall, Held, Hubert and Thompson. Identity, for them, is in a constant development and is molded and changed due to many elements like race, language, origin, affiliations, relationships, and belonging. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the concept of identity and its crisis from a sociological and cultural perspective in Leila Aboulela’s The Kindness of Enemies (2015). Natasha, as the main protagonist of this narrative is one of the suitable characters to depict identity crisis along her journey for a self-definition. The diaspora community specifically, witnesses issues of identity with its instability, its crisis and its influence on the individuals’ life. At the end of this paper, we hope to present the most important elements that contribute to the character’s identity crisis.