Series | Eurasian Studies
Edited book | Armenia, Caucasus and Central Asia
Chapter | Narrating Identity
Narrating Identity
Identity Construction and Fragmentation in German Sadulaev’s Ja – čečenec! and Šalinskij rejd
Abstract
The collapse of the Soviet Union and the Chechen wars were for German Sadulaev, a writer of Chechen origin, the starting point for a broad reflection on identity and nationality in the post-Soviet era. This paper aims to scrutinise how issues related to identity are addressed in two works by the author, the collection of short stories Ja – čečenec! [I Am a Chechen, 2006] and the novel Šalinskij rejd [The Raid on Shali, 2010]. Specific attention is paid to the role that narratives play in the considered works. In this respect, the paper first considers ethnicity/nationality as a narrative construct. Then, it deals with fragmentation of identity self-narrative as the consequence of the collapse of the Soviet Union. Finally, it considers the act of narrating as an attempt to hold together collective and personal identities.
Submitted: March 15, 2021 | Accepted: July 22, 2021 | Published Dec. 21, 2021 | Language: en
Keywords Russophone Literature • Collective Memory • German Sadulaev • Nationalism • Post-Soviet Literature • Postcolonial Studies • Trauma and Memory Studies • Chechnya
Copyright © 2021 Valentina Marcati. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/978-88-6969-550-6/008
