Volume IV Special Issue VII September 2024

Name of Author : Amaneet Kaur Bhatia

Title of the paper : Pleasures of a Parallel Paradise: The Alternative Slave Narrative in Bernardine Evaristos Blonde Roots

Abstract: Bernardine Evaristos Blonde Roots offers a radical reimagining of the transatlantic slave trade by reversing the roles of enslavers and enslaved, situating Africans as the dominant power and Europeans as their captives. This paper explores the novel as a speculative form of slave narrative, examining how Evaristos satirical inversion of history challenges traditional conceptions of race, power, and identity. Through the first-person perspective of Doris, a white European woman enslaved by Africans, Evaristo draws upon the emotional depth and personal reflection typical of classic slave narratives. However, the novels speculative and alternate history setting allows it to critique not only the brutality of historical slavery but also contemporary racial dynamics and systems of oppression. By examining the intersections of identity, resistance, and survival, this paper argues that Blonde Roots expands the boundaries of the slave narrative genre, offering fresh insights into how we remember and interpret the legacies of slavery in a modern context.

Keywords : Transatlantic, Slavery, Narrative, Identity, Racism

DOI :

Page Number : 6-10