Toni Morrison is the first African American woman writer to win Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993. In her work Morrison demonstrates an ‘oppositional attitude’ to the hegemony of White America and asserts the identity of Black women as historical subject. She explores the experience and roles of black women in a racist and male dominated society. At the same time, she also documents the nuances of unique and complex cultural inheritance of African-Americans.
The basic premise of the present research is an attempt to identify basic issues of postcolonial theory which are reflected in the vivid experiences of Morrison’s characters such as hegemony, displacement, stereotyping, resistance, subversion and hybridity. The study tries to look into these issues that enable Toni Morrison to explore the problems pertaining to Blacks in America from various angles of class, gender and race.
I am very much grateful to all the critics on whose works I am heavily dependent not just for the insight in the subject matter but also for inspiration.
I express my heart felt gratitude to my guide Dr. Rambhau M. Badode, Professor and Head of Department of English, University of Mumbai for his valuable advice and critique of my writing.
I am thankful to all other members of Department of English, University of Mumbai for all their aid.
I am also indebted to all the staff members of Jawaharlal Nehru Library, Kalina Campus, University of Mumbai and Central Library, American Conciliate, Mumbai for their prompt and smiling assistance while locating and referring books, magazines and articles. They have taken extra effort to provide me with right material. Without them I would not have been able to complete my work.
I am greatly obliged to my mother for all her caring, support, guidance and inspiration throughout my life. She has played a very big role in motivating me for this research.
Last but not the least I wish to express gratitude to Toni Morrison herself for providing insight in the nature of oppression, human suffering and resistance to it and thereby making millions of people more humane and benevolent towards their fellow human beings irrespective of class, race and sex.
Dr. Manisha D. Patil
