Moulding afropolitan identities on transnational routes in Noviolet Bulawayo's we need new names

Abstract EN

Recently, defining and demarcating identity have been further complicated by the intensive transnational ties and practices sustained across borders.

Transnational mobilities is a pressing topic across disciplines and the African contemporary novel is no exception.

This research paper delves into transnationalism as a potential analytical theory and its potential to study the complex identities of transnational agents across borders.

Through the lens of transnationalism, this paper aims to trace the shaping of African identities into Afropolitan identities on transnational routes and how these identities are a coping strategy with the linguistic, and socio-cultural differences in the debut novel of Zimbabwean author No Violet Bulawayo, We Need New Names (2013), a novel that intertwines transnational shaping of Afropolitan identity with the unprivileged immigrant experience.