The Transnational Bildungsroman: New Perspectives on Postcolonial Coming of Age Narratives

Abstract

My argument in this dissertation is that exposure to multiple cultures through various media and social networks complicates identity formation as adolescents find new ways of socializing within and across borders. Such social connectedness contributes to the emergence of both a new sense of selfhood marked by multiple allegiances or lack thereof, and a new type of Bildungsroman. Questions that this dissertation seeks to elucidate include: in this interconnected and media-oriented world, how has the notion of Bildung changed? How does multicultural consciousness shape the young protagonist’s sense of self, community and place? How is identity negotiated both at home and in a foreign setting? How does the thematization of this new configuration affect the form and the meaning of the Bildungsroman?