Paper short abstract:

This paper is meant to be a voyage through the novel La Traversée, by the Algerian writer Mouloud Mammeri, around the topics of memory, alterity, cultural universe and space. It aims at reflecting on the multiple forms of representing identity.

Paper long abstract:

The notion of sociological subject, based on the concept of identity as a result of the interaction of the “I” with society, of a dialogue of the “I” with cultural universes, of a connection between the interior and private space with the exterior and public, has led to a destabilization of a unified subject and traditional society. This fragmentation of references, connected to an homogeneous vision shaken by the processes of decolonization and globalization, has shaped the 20th century and intensified the debates around identity.

Many of the postcolonial narratives are considerations on the end of colonialism and attempts to recover the cultural authenticity and the traditional identities. In a synchronic way, the dissatisfaction in face of the institutional powers in the recent Nation-States has drawn the production of critical narratives. They offer alternative readings on the national and identity project and have as reference point spaces situated at the margins of the State.

Distant from the center, they are spaces of reflection on identity and they help deconstructing the concept of unity. These counter-loci are heterotopias, meaning that they are spaces of the “other” which go against the “I” leading it to an deep, essential, interpellation. This paper aims at being a voyage through the novel La Traversée, by the Algerian writer Mouloud Mammeri, around the topics of memory, alterity, cultural universe and space. It aims at reflecting on the multiple forms of representing identity.