Acculturation in Sam Selvon's "The Lonely Londoners" (PDF)

Seminar paper from the year 2006 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1, University of Innsbruck (Department of English), course: New Ways of Writing Englishness, language: English, abstract: Acculturation is a phenomenon whose importance is more and more increasing due to our modern society that is becoming more mobile and the world becoming more and more a place in which people move either freely or forced (refugees, emigrants looking for a better place to live etc.). Of course, there are certain obstacles that make this process of mobility more difficult. People from one culture leave their roots and start a new life in a new culture. As a consequence, they are forced to adapt to and to adopt this new culture to a certain extent. This is a very complex progress that is described by cultural studies.

Just like any other experience, acculturation can be dealt with in literature. Literature can serve as a mirror that reflects cultural phenomena, human experiences, events in history etc. Literary studies deal with the interpretation of these depictions (or reflections) in literary works.

Since literary and cultural studies can partly deal with the same topics, there are interfaces. The focus of this research paper will be on acculturation theories and their application to Sam Selvon's The Lonely Londoners with a further focus on the historical background that is intended to provide a better understanding of the acculturation process Selvon's characters make through. It will also be analyzed how Selvon depicts his characters in their acculturation process, whether he uses stereotypes or a differentiated depiction and which problems the characters have to face. It will be shown in how far literature can reflect cultural phenomena and in how far this could be achieved in The Lonely Londoners.