Souls in Exile: Identities of Bilingual Writers

Abstract

In this discussion, the author highlights the relationship between language and identity by discussing notions such as language as a symbolic resource (Heller, 1995 Heller, M. 1995. “Code-switching and the politics of language”. In One speaker, two languages: Cross-disciplinary perspectives on code-switching, Edited by: Milroy, L. and Muysken, P. 158–174. Cambridge, , England: Cambridge University Press. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) and language as a badge of identity (Buruma, 2003 Buruma, I. 2003. “The road to Babel”. In Switching languages: Translingual writers reflect on their craft, Edited by: Kellman, S. G. 9–24. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press. [Google Scholar]) in a society. The reasons why a number of bilingual writers have decided to write in their second languages are explored, and issues such as “writer as a migrant,” “double belonging and betrayal,” “awkward betweenness,” and “reconciliation of languages and identities” are discussed. The author argues that the expression “souls in exile” best describes the condition of being for many bilingual writers during their process of looking for the self in writing and in the host culture. It is usually through painful and painstaking struggles that many bilingual writers are able to reach reconciliation between their first and second languages, and to create an enriched self in writing.

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