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The United States' 'Empire State Of Mind:' Identity And Postcolonialism In A Post-9/11 World, Margaret Mcgill May 2010

The United States' 'Empire State Of Mind:' Identity And Postcolonialism In A Post-9/11 World, Margaret Mcgill

All Theses

This thesis examines the relevance of postcolonialism in a world changed by the September 11th 2001 terrorist attacks, which resulted in the openly aggressive and expansive nature of the United States in the years following, seeming reminiscent of European colonialism and soundly establishing a perception of the U.S. as an empire. Comparing Junot D’az's pre-9/11 Drown with his post-9/11 The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and Andrea Levy's pre-9/11 Small Island with Joseph O'Neill's post-9/11 Netherland, I explore the effects and influences of the United States imperial reach that surface in post-9/11 literature to contend its overwhelming presence has …


Victims And Aggressors: Black And Jewish Interethnic Relationships In Contemporary American Literature, Jessica Martin May 2009

Victims And Aggressors: Black And Jewish Interethnic Relationships In Contemporary American Literature, Jessica Martin

All Theses

Though blacks and Jews are often portrayed together in African-American and Jewish-American writing, the reasons for the juxtapositions are curious. Contemporary authors have created a close relationship between blacks and Jews that, perhaps with the exception of their cooperation during the Civil Rights movement, historically did not exist. But, the relationship between these two groups in literature offers a unique perspective on American racial and ethnic social structures because both blacks and Jews are considered minority groups, yet they also maintain a hierarchical relationship with one another. By employing black and Jewish characters, American writers, especially Jewish-American writers, create a …