In una lingua che non è la mia: memoria, scrittura e separazione

Abstract

This article explores the use of a foreign language in Ottoman women’s autobiographical writing that first appeared between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. By analyzing the texts of these authors writing about the self outside of their “mother tongue”, this article addresses the issue of language – in this case English – as a negotiated space for one’s own multiple identities, both with local and Western audiences. In particular, it examines to what extent the choice, however conscious, of using a foreign language engenders an identity break, a separation of the author from the world in which her memories were originally produced. Furthermore, this article seeks to determine the traumas that could motivate or arise from this choice.