Representing Diversity in Black British Children's Literature: Jackie Kay's Strawgirl

Abstract:In view of the success and widespread visibility of Black British and British Asian writing of recent years, it is surprising how little attention – especially by postcolonial scholars – has been paid to literature for children and young adults published by prominent authors from an ethnically and racially diverse background. One of these authors is the much-acclaimed Black Scottish writer Jackie Kay, best known for her adult poetry and fiction, who has published two award-winning poetry collections for children (1992, 1998) as well as the novel Strawgirl (2002) for a young adult (YA) audience. Kay's YA novel traces the experiences of a young mixed-race girl growing up in rural Scotland and examines how her hybrid background affects her sense of identity and belonging. With its Scottish setting, Strawgirl explores the central character's successful integration of her dual cultural allegiances, and thus proclaims and celebrates the possibilities of syncretism and cultural fusion. This essay argues for the significance of Jackie Kay's critically underexplored novel for children, Strawgirl, within a larger critical context of neglect of British children's and YA literature by Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) writers in general and such writing in Scotland, in particular.