Migration, Racism and Cultural Identity in Buchi Emecheta’s Second Class Citizen and Chimamanda Adichie’s Americanah.

Abstract

Migration is part of human life. Humans move around for a variety of reasons like historical, political, economic including higher education, better prospects and marriage. It has happened throughout the world and the African people form a larger percentage of world Diasporas. Migrants tend to suffer from alienation, loneliness, despair, disappointment, racial discrimination, loss of identity and psychological trauma. They are uprooted from their tradition and homeland. This paper explores migration, racism, gender discrimination and cultural identity face by Adah and Ifemelu in the works of Emechetas Second Class Citizen and Adichies  Americanah respectively. The two Nigerian women writers have beautifully penned down their experiences of living in a foreign country through the life of Adah and Ifemelu, and a comparative analysis of the works highlight how the social, political and demographic contexts of and historical developments in different societies (here in the novels; England and America) influence the nature and impact of racial boundaries and barriers. A side by side comparison also suggests that while the conflicts in protagonists are sometimes about immigration itself, often they have more to do with race, gender, culture and ethnic identity.