Reversed Identity, the Problem of Fake Identity, and Counter-Identity in Selected Novels by Nadine Gordimer

Abstract

This paper examines reversed identity in Nadine Gordimer’s July’s People, counter-identity in Burger’s Daughter, the problem of fake identity in The Conservationist. The discussion of these kinds of identity are explicated from a postcolonial perspective. The study sheds light on Gordimer’s depiction of identity within cultural, social, and ethnic considerations. The study’s methodology relies on the descriptive elaboration of the selected novels’ themes related to South Africa in post-apartheid periods when riots broke out for liberation and independence. It depends on some previous studies and critical books on identity in post-colonialism. It offers few analytical comments on Gordimer’s perception of identity and how she portrays it in different kinds, namely, reversed, counter, and fake identities. Thus, the analysis is supported by critical arguments about the multifarious meanings and implications of identity.