The Narrative as a Statement of Identity and History in Julie Dash’s Daughters of the Dust
Keywords:
African-American identity, internal colonialism, language and power, Julie Dash, Daughters of the DustAbstract
This article analyzes the role of narrative in constructing identity and history for African-Americans, focusing on Julie Dash's film 'Daughters of the Dust'. The paper explores the concept of internal colonialism, arguing that the encounter between African and American cultures created conditions resembling colonialism. It examines how language and body were sites of resistance and oppression, with hegemonic powers controlling reality through language. The article contends that narratives produced by Westerners disempowered Africans, justifying slavery through devaluation. It demonstrates how African-Americans use narrative to reclaim their history, traditions, and humanity, making sense of their experiences and linking individual consciousness with shared ethnic backgrounds.
(The abstract and keywords were prepared retrospectively for indexing purposes using AI-assisted tools and editorial review, based on the original article. They did not appear in the original publication.)
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