Autochtonie et indigénéité dans les romans de Hédi Bouraoui

Abstract

Hédi Bouraoui is a Canadian writer of Tunisian origin. His work is imbued with a particular sensitivity to indigenous cultures. He lived for more than a quarter of a century in Canada’s Far North where he developed a deep admiration for Aboriginal traditions and their relationship to each other. In his writings, he addresses the issue of Aboriginal people by exploring the complex relationships between Aboriginal cultures and Western society. It focuses on describing the challenges faced by Indigenous peoples, including the loss of their cultural identity and the trauma of colonization. On the other hand, the writer’s origins predestine him to returns on the native world. Empathy and respect for the cultures of the Maghreb have a definite interest for indigeneity through a thought where traditions, beliefs and lifestyles of peoples subjected to prejudice and discrimination in Western society constitute a reference thematic content.

In our paper, the objective is to study the expressions of autochtonia in a selection of novels written by Hédi Bouraoui where it is a question of dialogue and contact, but also of friction between characters who are opposed by ethnicity. When novels address contexts related to the geographical areas of the Maghreb, indigenism is to be considered as a parallel form of autochtonia. The native, creating by a colonial thought, takes the idea of origin and race into its own account. In these novels, the native land, the right to speak, identity or the struggle for territory and freedom are themes that speak volumes about the dominant versus dominant dichotomy.