On the verge of belonging: A Bhabhaian reading of Audrey Magee's The Colony

This dissertation aims to define the Ireland-England conflict, Irishness, and identity conflict in Audrey Magee's novel The Colony. Ireland has been in a state of constant conflict with England throughout its history. England long sought to dominate the Irish people. England's colonization of Ireland led to uprisings among the Irish people and ignited their struggle for independence. Consequently, English influence on the Irish and identity conflict became important themes in Irish literature. Audrey Magee's The Colony, a modern example of Irish literature, demonstrates how even the isolated Irish people of Ireland could be affected by English colonialism and how much it affected their lives. This study uses Homi Bhabha's postcolonial concepts of hybridity, third space, and mimicry as analytical methods. As a postcolonial thinker, Bhabha's concepts help us answer the question of what constitutes Irishness and Englishness. Identity conflict in the novels and the British influence on Irish characters are examined through Homi Bhabha's postcolonial concepts. This dissertation aims to offer researchers a new perspective on identity conflict in Irish literature and to offer a different interpretation of the relationship between England and Ireland through postcolonial perspectives.