Hybridische zelfpositionering en performance in Breytenbachs reisverhalen

Abstract

This article focuses on the hybrid self-representation and liminal self-positioning of Breyten Breytenbach as presented in his two
travelogues, Return to Paradise (1993) and Dog Heart (1998). Firstly, the form of travel writing is shown to be a suitable genre
for the manifestation of a nomadic or ‘travelling’ subject. Secondly, his liminal self-positioning toward Afrikaner society reflects the
problem of identity in post-apartheid South Africa, as well as the writer’s performance of a future agency for rehabilitating the
collective self within a new South African community. Breytenbach is seen to manifest his cultural identity on the one hand, while
attempting to position this identity within the multicultural society on the other. Key words: autobiography, Breyten
Breytenbach, hybridity, identity, self-positioning.