Cultural approximations to migration and mobility in Colum McCann’s work

Abstract

Esta tesis analiza las representaciones literarias sobre migración y movilidad en cuatro novelas del escritor irlandés Colum McCann: Songdogs (1995), Zoli (2006), Let the Great World Spin (2009), y Apeirogon (2020). Partiendo de conceptos culturales como multiculturalidad, transculturalidad y transnacionalismo y del análisis de la forma literaria según el modelo desarrollado por Mary McGlynn, esta tesis desenvuelve un análisis diacrónico de las novelas seleccionadas, examina el fenómeno de la migración irlandesa en cuatro momentos históricos distintos, y detecta la transformación en el enfoque, inicialmente orientado a los procesos migratorios y luego desembocando en la movilidad, a lo largo de la carrera literaria de McCann. Combinando las características transculturales, transnacionales y del modelo de McGlynn acerca de contenido y forma de textos literarios, se desarrolla un nuevo modelo para proceder al análisis de las novelas seleccionadas y tras su aplicación, se identifican las características utilizadas por McCann

This study analyses the literary representations of migration and mobility in the following novels of Irish author, Colum McCann: Songdogs (1995), Zoli (2006), LTGWS (2009), and Apeirogon (2020). Relying on a theoretical framework derived from cultural concepts such as multiculturalism, transculturality, transnationalism, and the analysis of the literary form based on a model developed by Mary McGlynn, this study proposes a diachronic analysis of the novels, following the change of focus from migration to mobility which happened during the first 25 years of McCann’s career. Irish migration is examined across four different historic periods, thereby setting the phenomenon into the Irish context. Combining the transcultural, transnational, and McGlynn’s features in terms of meaning and form of literary texts, a new model was developed to advance the analysis of the selected novels. In applying this new model, it was possible to identify the features used by McCann corroborate his alignment with these cultural concepts. The author addresses issues of migration and mobility in a dynamic way, following the changes happened not only in Ireland, but also in the contemporary world.