Cultural identity, selfhood, and marginality
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Date
2023
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Publisher
UMT, Lahore
Abstract
The study examines a post-colonial reading of the novel Homeland Elegies written by Ayad Akhtar. The theory is proposed by Homi K. Bhaba nearly in 1960centralizing the cultural, political, and economic legacy of marginalization,hybridity of culture, and mimicry of others. It seeks to demonstrate that instead of dealing with Ayad, the protagonist of the novel, as a victim of multiculturalism, and anti-patriotism, the author stresses the loss of cultural identity, and selfhood, providing little space for the projection of the marginalization perspectives. Ayad’s narrative aims to distort the identity of the Pakistani protagonist by transforming him into an American. He dismantles the foundations of Muslism identity and patriotism. On this basis, the novel promotes the multicultural narratives advocated by the Muslim and American communities. The research is descriptive and qualitative in nature and it is conducted through the textual analysis of Homeland Elegies being the primary text with the theory of marginalization and the articles based on cultural identity, and selfhood being secondary texts. It has asserted that Akhtar portrays his male protagonist in a way that belongs to a Muslim family who is immigrant and confrontsthe American self.