2021

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Browsing 2021 by Author "Ain Imtiaz"

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    Deconstructing hybrid identities
    (UMT, Lahore, 2021) Ain Imtiaz
    Hybridity is the concept widely highlighted by Homi K. Bhabha in his book The Location of Cultures. Hybridity is a person being at two places at once, overlapping cultures allows a person to generate “in-between space”. This concept is utilized and applied to The Bride written by Bapsi Sidhwa in which she highlights the cultural diversities. Relocation of the characters to heterogeneous cultures creates a third space. Lahore is exotically depicted as one region in Pakistan which is the foundation story as a static city is compared with the mountains and tribal areas of Pakistan, the difference of norms and cultures within a country would be analyzed in the research. The study examines the characters and displacement from their root culture. Along with the protagonist the minor characters are also straddling between two cultures. The study tends to explore the identity crisis of characters, the effect of hybridity over marriage, and gender roles along with the hybridity found in cultures. The study delves deeper to find out that hybridity exists in Qasim, Carol, and Zaitoon. Binaries of self/other, superior/inferior, urban/villager are exposed in the research. The diversity of Kohistani culture, Lahori culture along with specs of Punjabi culture, the remains of British culture in Lahore is highlighted in the study. Cultural imperialism resulting in creating a “third space” is discussed thoroughly in the study. Western domination over the East is highlighted by the character of Carol in the novel; this research paper analyzes the hybridity that affects the marriage of Carol and Farukh. Qasim affects by an identity crisis because he is displaced from his root land. The superiority of Lahore’s culture over Kohistani culture and characters affect by the dominant culture originates the third space, straddles between two cultures. The evolution of characters after leaving their mother culture adjusts to the values of a foreign land is the main focus of this research paper. Dichotomies generated in past due to post-colonialism the binaries of self and other by the IMTIAZ 6 difference of culture discuss thoroughly in the novel. Alienation of characters and the complexities foreign land incorporates in their self’s catered along with generating third space where they adjust and mimic the new values of the new culture. The notion of Homi K. Bhabha is applied to every aspect of the novel.