ARTICLE

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHIC DISCURSIVE CONSTRUCTION OF IMMIGRANT IDENTITY A DISCOURSE HISTORICAL ANALYSIS OF MY LIFES JOURNEY

42 Pages : 324-330

http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/gssr.2019(IV-IV).42      10.31703/gssr.2019(IV-IV).42      Published : Dec 2019

The Autobiographic Discursive Construction of Immigrant Identity: A Discourse Historical Analysis of 'My Life's Journey'

    The present critical discourse study explores the discursive construction of immigrant identity of Mohajir/Urdu Speaking people in Pakistan through the analysis of an autobiographic discourse in the form of My Lifes Journey by Altaf Hussain. Discourse Historical Approach of CDA serves as the theoretical and analytical framework for this study. This framework is based on themes and discursive strategies. The analysis of the selected discourse reveals that the interview based autobiography of the political figure is based on the recurring theme of political transformation and reconstruction of immigrant identity. The discourse is also constituted of several discursive strategies; the most prevalent ones are those of victimization, topos of history, topos of definition and positive self and negative other presentation. The autobiographical discourse highlights the transformational phases the immigrant identity of Mohajirs has gone through. The readers of this discourse under analysis often encounter terms like parochial difference, biased attitudes, and discrimination.

    (1) Fouzia Rehman Khan
    Assistant professor,Department of English,Sardar Bahadur khan Womens University, Quetta Baluchistan, Pakistan.
    (2) Sumaira Shafiq
    Assistant Professor, Institute of Kashmi Studies, University of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan.
    (3) Ayaz Qadeer
    Assistant Professor (English),Department of Management Sciences,COMSATS University, Wah Cantt, Punjab, Pakistan.
  • Androvicova, J. (2013). Immigration in current political discourse- The case of Slovakia within the European Union. Annual of Language and Politics and Politics of Identity, (7), 5-28 Retrieved from http://alppi.vedeckecasopisy.cz/publicFiles/00531.pdf
  • Baig, N. (2005). From mohallah to mainstream: The MQM's transformation from an ethnic to a catch-all party (Master's Thesis). University of Victoria
  • Findlay, A. M., & Li, F. L. N. (1997). An auto-biographical approach to understanding
  • Finna, A. D. (1999). Immigrant identities: A discourse analysis of narrative told by told by Mexicans in the United States.
  • Goulbourne, H. (2004). Race and Ethnicity: Critical concept in Sociology. London.
  • Grad, H. & Rojo, L. M. (2008) Identities in discourse. In Dolon, R. & Todoli, J. (Eds.), Analysing identities in discourse (pp. 3-28). Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamin Publishing Company.
  • Hellgren, Z. (2008):
  • Hussain, A. (2011). My Life's Journey: The Early Years (1966-1988). Oxford: Oxford
  • Killian, C., & Johnson, C. (2006). I'm not an immigrant: Resistance, redefinition and the role of resources in identity work. Social Psychology Quarterly, 69 (1), 60-80 Mexicans in the US, PhD Dissertation, Georgetown University Mexicans in the US: Oregon State University migration: the case of Hong Kong migrants. Area, 29 (1), 34-44.
  • Mohajir (1998). In Ferozson Urdu English Dictionary. Lahore: Ferozsons (Pvt.) Ltd
  • New York: Routledge Potter, J. & Wetherell, M. (1987) Discourse and Social Psychology. London: Sage Publications University Press.
  • Wodak, R. & Meyer, M. (2001). Methods of critical discourse analysis. London: Sage
  • Wodak, R., Cillai,R., Resigl,M., Liebhart,K. (2009). The discursive construction of national identity: Edinburgh University Press.

Cite this article

    APA : Khan, F. R., Shafiq, S., & Qadeer, A. (2019). The Autobiographic Discursive Construction of Immigrant Identity: A Discourse Historical Analysis of 'My Life's Journey'. Global Social Sciences Review, IV(IV), 324-330. https://doi.org/10.31703/gssr.2019(IV-IV).42
    CHICAGO : Khan, Fouzia Rehman, Sumaira Shafiq, and Ayaz Qadeer. 2019. "The Autobiographic Discursive Construction of Immigrant Identity: A Discourse Historical Analysis of 'My Life's Journey'." Global Social Sciences Review, IV (IV): 324-330 doi: 10.31703/gssr.2019(IV-IV).42
    HARVARD : KHAN, F. R., SHAFIQ, S. & QADEER, A. 2019. The Autobiographic Discursive Construction of Immigrant Identity: A Discourse Historical Analysis of 'My Life's Journey'. Global Social Sciences Review, IV, 324-330.
    MHRA : Khan, Fouzia Rehman, Sumaira Shafiq, and Ayaz Qadeer. 2019. "The Autobiographic Discursive Construction of Immigrant Identity: A Discourse Historical Analysis of 'My Life's Journey'." Global Social Sciences Review, IV: 324-330
    MLA : Khan, Fouzia Rehman, Sumaira Shafiq, and Ayaz Qadeer. "The Autobiographic Discursive Construction of Immigrant Identity: A Discourse Historical Analysis of 'My Life's Journey'." Global Social Sciences Review, IV.IV (2019): 324-330 Print.
    OXFORD : Khan, Fouzia Rehman, Shafiq, Sumaira, and Qadeer, Ayaz (2019), "The Autobiographic Discursive Construction of Immigrant Identity: A Discourse Historical Analysis of 'My Life's Journey'", Global Social Sciences Review, IV (IV), 324-330
    TURABIAN : Khan, Fouzia Rehman, Sumaira Shafiq, and Ayaz Qadeer. "The Autobiographic Discursive Construction of Immigrant Identity: A Discourse Historical Analysis of 'My Life's Journey'." Global Social Sciences Review IV, no. IV (2019): 324-330. https://doi.org/10.31703/gssr.2019(IV-IV).42