The principal aim of this thesis is to examine concepts of identity in four novels by the Guadeloupean writer, Maryse Condé. These novels, Moi, Tituba, sorcière...Noire de Salem, Une saison à Rihata, Traversée de la Mangrove and Desirada, are set against the legacies of slavery, colonialism and exile, and explore the profound lack of identity experienced on a personal and collective level by the peoples of the Caribbean. Maryse Condé is a most suitable author to study in relation to issues of identity, as much of her work encompasses the notion of a quest, and her protagonists find themselves journeying towards a discovery of self. I will examine closely the journeys, both physical and psychological, of these characters, in their individual searches. Identity in the thesis is analysed from two differing perspectives, those of personal identity, and collective cultural identity. All four novels explore personal identity. Only Traversée de la Mangrove is set in its entirety in Guadeloupe, and examines collective cultural identity. I will analyse the notion that identity does not operate along a fixed or determined point, but instead constantly undergoes change and transformation. Identity as such can be considered as elusive, and the identity of characters can never be fully understood or defined. I will refer to theorists such as Mikhail Bahktin and Julia Kristeva, whose work relates to the notion that language and identity are evolving dynamics, forever resistant to stable definition. I will also discuss the importance of Caribbean thinkers such as Aimé Césaire and Edouard Glissant.