DOI:
AUTHOR(S)
Faisal Mahmud Fahad
ABSTRACT
This paper explores Edward Kamau Brathwaite’s The Arrivants: A New World Trilogy through the framework of tidalectics, a neologism coined by Brathwaite himself to describe a cyclical, rhythmic, and non-linear process of cultural and historical evolution. The Arrivants comprising Rights of Passage (1967), Masks (1968), and Islands (1969) unfolds the journey of the African diaspora, highlighting its movement from the trauma of displacement and enslavement to the complex cultural, historical, and psychological construction of Caribbean identity. Drawing on postcolonial trauma theory, Black Atlantic theory, and postmemory studies, the paper argues that Brathwaite’s poetic structure mirrors the ebb and flow of tides, reflecting the fragmented yet continuous formation of Caribbean identity. Through a close reading of selected poems, this paper demonstrates how Brathwaite incorporates African oral traditions, music, and creole languages to express both cultural dislocation and creative revival. Though this paper is primarily based on Brathwaite’s neologism “tidalectics”, it intersects with Black Atlantic theory, postcolonial trauma theory, and postmemory studies to present a comprehensive picture of Brathwaite’s attempt to preserve the predicaments of the Caribbean people. Thus, this paper shows how The Arrivants creates a site where poetic expression becomes a space for historical negotiation, memory reconstruction, and identity formation.
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