Diversifying Modes of National Identity and Belonging in Jackie Kay's Fiere

Two decades after The Adoption Papers (1991), Kay revisits issues of identity and belonging in her poetry volume Fiere (2011). Building on existing analyses that address issues of language and the poet's self-identification as a Black Scot, this chapter takes a closer look at the way in which Kay diversifies received notions of constructing national identity in Fiere . Combining Murray Leith and Daniel Soule’s insights regarding national identity (2011) with John McLeod’s filiative and affiliative modes of belonging (2006), we argue that Kay rejects the exclusionary implications of the filiative ethnic-genetic approach. Our close reading of selected poems shows how she not only highlights more inclusive, affiliative modes of national belonging, often rooted in shared experiences, language and culture, but also fuses filiative with affiliative approaches into a more open, cultural-ethnic understanding of national identity. With Fiere , Kay thus presents a strong plea for less rigid and more inclusive modes of belonging and national identity that allow for, and even embrace, a multiple sense of self and mixed heritage.