Gender Identity, displacement and new beginning through Un Papillon dans la Cité of Gisèle Pineau

Abstract

Contemporary Francophone Guadeloupean literature constitutes a privileged space for exploring the historical, social and cultural dynamics deriving from the colonial and postcolonial experiences. Marked by slavery, colonial domination, forced and voluntary migrations, as well as by the identity framework of the diaspora, this study insistently questions the notions of exile, belonging, and memory. In this field, Gisèle Pineau stands out for exploring the experiences of exile, identity crisis and processes of reconstruction. Gisèle Pineau's “Un papillon dans la cité” highlights characters who are often female or marginalized, confronted with social violence, racism, urban exclusion, and the loss of community ties. Identity, though weakened by exile and marginalization, can be recomposed through memory, speech, and a renewed relationship with the environment. This research therefore aims to analyze how Un papillon dans la cité, the novel of Gisèle Pineau explores the gender identity through a little Caribbean girl Félicie, navigating the traumatic displacement, marginalization and searches for belonging maintaining cultural roots in France for a new beginning. This study also highlights the traumatic experiences of Félicie while confronting the social and cultural challenges and focuses on the emotional struggles of the girl to define her place in a very different environment from Guadeloupe to France. Furthermore, this research will explore the theme of exile and displacement-whether physical, social, or internal as the central condition of human experience in the novel named Un papillon dans la cité of Gisèle Pineau.