Play of Mirrors in the Border. Najat El Hachmi's Subjectivity Formation in Jo també sóc catalana

Abstract

[eng] This contribution proposes a discussion of Najat El Hachmi's autobiographical account Jo també sóc catalana (2004) as an enunciatory space from which she explores and constitutes her subjectivity. Considering her interaction with different interpellations from the dominant discourse, the notion of liminality will be tackled under what she calls 'pensament de frontera' (border thinking). Thus, the border works both as a lens to look at the textual representation and as a reification of the enunciatory position she creates. I propose to interpret this position as a play of mirrors which stresses similarity over difference, blurring the opposition 'us' versus 'them'. Nonetheless, this action is not riskfree and the perils of an abyss of uncertainty and failed expectations threaten this positivist stance. Thus, this contribution aims to reflect on the negotiations that hegemonic discourses demand from El Hachmi and how she represents them in her first work.