Deconstructing Colonial Discourse: A Linguistic Analysis of Power and Memory in Bernardine Evaristo's Blonde Roots

Authors

  • Kaneez Fatima

    English Department, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara 144411, India
  • Ajoy

    English Department, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara 144411, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i12.10625
Received: 21 June 2025 | Revised: 24 October 2025 | Accepted: 27 October 2025 | Published Online: 20 November 2025

Abstract

This paper explores how Bernardine Evaristo’s Blonde Roots uses language to expose and challenge the ideologies that sustained colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade. By reversing the historical facts and roles of enslaver and enslaved, Evaristo reimagines slavery from an Afrocentric perspective, compelling readers to confront the constructed nature of racial hierarchies. The study draws on ideas from Paul Gilroy, Michel Foucault, and Gayatri Spivak to examine how narrative voice, metaphor, and dialogue in the novel represent trauma, power, and resistance. Using qualitative discourse analysis, the paper focuses on key episodes, such as the Middle Passage, the slave market, and the commodification of women, to show how linguistic patterns reflect the physical and psychological violence of slavery. Through close reading and linguistic annotation, the analysis highlights how Evaristo’s language transforms silence into speech and oppression into resistance. The study argues that Blonde Roots not only revisits the horrors of slavery but also invites a broader reflection on how history and memory are shaped through words. By transforming language into a tool of resistance and remembrance, the novel demonstrates that storytelling can serve as a form of historical repair and social critique, connecting past injustices with ongoing struggles against racial inequality.

Keywords:

Colonial Discourse Analysis; Linguistic Dehumanisation; Narrative and Trauma; Language and Power; Epistemic Violence; Living Memory; Slave Sublime; Commodification and Gendered Violence

References

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How to Cite

Fatima, K., & Ajoy. (2025). Deconstructing Colonial Discourse: A Linguistic Analysis of Power and Memory in Bernardine Evaristo’s Blonde Roots. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(12), 1415–1427. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i12.10625

Issue

Vol. 7 , Iss. 12 (December 2025): In progress

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Article

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Copyright © 2025 Kaneez Fatima, Ajoy

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This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.