《朝圣者之路》中的种族暴力与情感共同体

On Racial Violence and Emotional Community in Pilgrims Way

《朝圣者之路》是古尔纳首部以在英流散为背景的作品,小说中角色的身份归属具有强烈的代表性,为考察作者的族群关系理念提供了重要参考。在本质主义身份观的影响下,流散者在英国被视为他者。借助不同形式的暴力,种族主义者试图驱逐在英流散群体。然而,这种本质主义身份观同样存在于流散群体内部,部分流散者否认黑人与白人共处的可能,主张对英国社会施以报复。作为桑给巴尔种族暴力的受害者,主人公达乌德对这一主张抱持保留态度。在这部作品中,凭籍达乌德与英国白人女性凯瑟琳建立的情感联系,古尔纳构想了一种以包容身份差异为特征的情感共同体,这不仅可以帮助流散者对抗严苛的社会环境,同样还意味着对以暴力进行复仇这一做法的否弃。就古尔纳的这一构想而言,不但为探讨种族问题提供了新思路,同样为构建人类命运共同体提供了有益借鉴。

Pilgrims Way was Abdulrazak Gurnah's first work to explore dias-poric experiences in England.The characters'ethnic backgrounds hold great significance,offering valuable insights into the author's understanding of ethnic relations.Influenced by essentialist conceptions about identity,diasporas in England were perceived as the Other.Racists subjected them to different kinds of violence,attempting to expel the di-aspora community.However,similar conceptions can also be found within the diaspora communities.Some denied the possibility of racial coexistence,insisting on retaliation against British society.As a victim of racial violence in Zanzibar,Daud,the protagonist,has some reservations about this proposition.In this novel,by virtue of the emotional connection that Daud establishes with Catherine,a white British woman,Gurnah conceives of an emotional community characterized by the inclusion of identity differences,which not only helps diasporas to confront the harsh social environment but also implies the author's rejection of violence as a means of vengeance.Gurnah's conception not only offers a new method for exploring the issue of race,but also presents a useful reference for constructing a community with a shared future for mankind.