Deconstructing the Poto-Mitan Woman Myth and Reconstructing the Female Figure in Désirada by Maryse Condé

This paper questions the myth of the poto-mitan woman whictructures conjugal and parental relations within West Indian society in Désirada by Maryse Condé. This myth, whose origins date back to the slavery and colonial past of the Caribbean, is taken up and questioned in the novel by the Guadeloupean writer. The study analyzes the socio-anthropological foundations of the myth of the poto-mitan woman to better appreciate the process of its deconstruction, the erosion of sexual identities (male and female) and the promotion of an alternative female identity. Keywords: Myth, Poto-Mitan, Matrifocality, Migrance, Deconstruction, Deterritorialization