Generational verbal construction of identity by females: metaphors of identity in Carol Campbell’s My Children Have Faces

Abstract

The question of identity continues to be a burning issue in South Africa after over two decades of majority rule. This is more so for the cart people of the Karoo who are mainly nomadic. Carol Campbell’s ‘My Children have faces’ raises questions about the invisibility, need for documentation and abuse of women in this setting. This analysis offers a scrutiny of different reactions to abuse and identity from a generational point of view. Differences and similarities in use of metaphors by mother and daughter to describe themselves are discussed against the background of psychosocial development. The article examines the experiences of children who witness their mother’s fear and their reactions to invisibility and patriarchal abuse. The discussion shows a positive use of metaphors by the younger generation.

Keywords: Karretjiemense, identity, metaphors, abuse, female, nomadic