Female Identity in the Context of Colonial History: A Comparative Analysis of Female Characters in the Works of Leslie Marmon Silko and Louise Erdrich

The study analyzed the characteristic features of the representation of female identity in the prose of Leslie Marmon Silko and Louise Erdrich, situated within the context of colonial history and postcolonial discourse among the indigenous peoples of North America. It was determined that the works of Leslie Marmon Silko form a model of female subjectivity, which comprises a combination of mytho-ritual heritage, oral tradition, and an ecologically oriented system of values. It was established that the prose of Louise Erdrich creates an alternative model of female identity, which is defined as a hybrid or "borderline" subjectivity, where female characters implement a mediating cultural function, contributing to the adaptation of hereditary knowledge and practices to modern socio-historical processes. It is found that in the prose of Leslie Marmon Silko and Louise Erdrich, female characters play a decisive role in maintaining cultural continuity, promoting the cultural resilience of communities and recreating the identification patterns of indigenous communities.