A Study of Hybridity and National Identity in the Selected Novels of ...
A Study of Hybridity and National Identity in the Selected Novels of ...
A Study of Hybridity and National Identity in the Selected Novels of ...
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A <strong>Study</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Hybridity</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Identity</strong><br />
<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Selected</strong> <strong>Novels</strong> <strong>of</strong> Bapsi Sidhwa <strong>and</strong> David Malouf.<br />
Abstract:<br />
Daryoosh Hayati & Eisa Amiri<br />
Islamic Azad University, Iran<br />
Postcolonial elements as identity <strong>and</strong> hybridity have been subjected to debate among <strong>the</strong><br />
scholars <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> field <strong>of</strong> postcolonial criticism. The ma<strong>in</strong> problem many critics are<br />
encountered with <strong>in</strong> criticiz<strong>in</strong>g a literary work, is how to discover hybridity <strong>and</strong><br />
identity. Attention must be paid to <strong>the</strong> fact that Postcolonial authors use <strong>the</strong>ir works to<br />
solidify, through criticism <strong>and</strong> celebration, an emerg<strong>in</strong>g national identity, which <strong>the</strong>y<br />
have taken on <strong>the</strong> responsibility <strong>of</strong> represent<strong>in</strong>g. While postcolonial criticism is culture<br />
bound, this essay would base its discussion on <strong>the</strong> views <strong>of</strong> some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> most prom<strong>in</strong>ent<br />
postcolonial <strong>the</strong>orists as Bhabha, Spivak <strong>and</strong> Said to name a few on <strong>the</strong> selected works <strong>of</strong><br />
Bapsi Sidhwa <strong>and</strong> David Malouf to shed light on <strong>the</strong> idea that only by underst<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g,<br />
explor<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> embrac<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> idea <strong>of</strong> cultural hybridity <strong>in</strong> attempt<strong>in</strong>g to explore <strong>the</strong><br />
concept <strong>of</strong> national identity can an <strong>in</strong>dividual truly hope to underst<strong>and</strong> or communicate<br />
with postcolonial literary works.<br />
Keywords: postcolonial literature, hybridity, national identity, cultural studies,<br />
hegemony,<br />
Introduction<br />
In fact <strong>the</strong> concept <strong>of</strong> hybridity occupies a central place <strong>in</strong> postcolonial<br />
discourse, yet before tak<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> term any fur<strong>the</strong>r <strong>in</strong>to consideration it is<br />
necessary to claim that <strong>the</strong> history <strong>of</strong> hybridity has caused some to consider<br />
<strong>the</strong> employment <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> concept as problematic, <strong>in</strong>deed, <strong>of</strong>fensive. (Mitchell<br />
1997) In colonial discourse, hybridity is a term <strong>of</strong> abuse for those who are<br />
products <strong>of</strong> miscegenation, mixed-breeds.<br />
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Despite this loaded historical past, Papastergiadis rem<strong>in</strong>ds us <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
emancipative potential <strong>of</strong> negative terms. He poses <strong>the</strong> question “should we<br />
use only words with a pure <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong><strong>of</strong>fensive history, or should we challenge<br />
essentialist models <strong>of</strong> identity by tak<strong>in</strong>g on <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>n subvert<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>ir own<br />
vocabulary.” (Papastergiadis 1997, p. 258).<br />
This is particularly so <strong>in</strong> Bhabha’s discussion <strong>of</strong> cultural hybridity. Bhabha<br />
has developed his concept <strong>of</strong> hybridity from literary <strong>and</strong> cultural <strong>the</strong>ory to<br />
describe <strong>the</strong> construction <strong>of</strong> culture <strong>and</strong> identity with<strong>in</strong> conditions <strong>of</strong><br />
colonial antagonism <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>equity. (Bhabha 1994; Bhabha 1996) For Bhabha,<br />
hybridity is <strong>the</strong> process by which <strong>the</strong> colonial govern<strong>in</strong>g authority<br />
undertakes to translate <strong>the</strong> identity <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> colonised (<strong>the</strong> O<strong>the</strong>r) with<strong>in</strong> a<br />
s<strong>in</strong>gular universal framework, but <strong>the</strong>n fails produc<strong>in</strong>g someth<strong>in</strong>g familiar<br />
but new. (Papastergiadis 1997) Bhabha contends that a new hybrid identity<br />
or subject-position emerges from <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>terweav<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> elements <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
coloniser <strong>and</strong> colonised challeng<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> validity <strong>and</strong> au<strong>the</strong>nticity <strong>of</strong> any<br />
essentialist cultural identity. <strong>Hybridity</strong> is positioned as antidote to<br />
essentialism, or “<strong>the</strong> belief <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>variable <strong>and</strong> fixed properties which def<strong>in</strong>e<br />
<strong>the</strong> ‘whatness’ <strong>of</strong> a given entity.” (Fuss, 1991, p. xi). In postcolonial<br />
discourse, <strong>the</strong> notion that any culture or identity is pure or essential is<br />
disputable. (Ashcr<strong>of</strong>t et al, 1995) Bhabha himself is aware <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> dangers <strong>of</strong><br />
fixity <strong>and</strong> fetishism <strong>of</strong> identities with<strong>in</strong> b<strong>in</strong>ary colonial th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g argu<strong>in</strong>g that<br />
“all forms <strong>of</strong> culture are cont<strong>in</strong>ually <strong>in</strong> a process <strong>of</strong> hybridity.” (Ru<strong>the</strong>rford<br />
1990, p.211).<br />
Thus read<strong>in</strong>g postcolonial <strong>the</strong>ory <strong>and</strong> practic<strong>in</strong>g hybridity prompts <strong>the</strong><br />
question posed by Esp<strong>in</strong>et (1999): ‘How can <strong>the</strong> historian or <strong>in</strong>vestigator<br />
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avoid <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>evitable risk <strong>of</strong> present<strong>in</strong>g herself as an authoritative<br />
representative <strong>of</strong> subaltern consciousness?’ ( p.3), or <strong>in</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r words at risk<br />
<strong>of</strong> be<strong>in</strong>g mis<strong>in</strong>terpreted, which arises naturally out <strong>of</strong> Gayatri Spivak’s<br />
challeng<strong>in</strong>g essay ‘Can <strong>the</strong> subaltern speak?’ (1985). Keep<strong>in</strong>g this <strong>in</strong> m<strong>in</strong>d,<br />
it seems necessary to preface any writ<strong>in</strong>g about postcolonial literature<br />
designed for a young adult readership with a statement <strong>of</strong> position. The<br />
crucial element which <strong>in</strong>forms such writ<strong>in</strong>g is after all governed by location,<br />
<strong>in</strong> terms <strong>of</strong> ideological perspective, as well as geographically. S<strong>in</strong>ce <strong>the</strong> texts<br />
proposed for <strong>in</strong>vestigation are published by <strong>and</strong> written for a Western<br />
audience, anyone who is to <strong>in</strong>vestigate <strong>the</strong>se texts needs to be aware <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>in</strong>fluence <strong>of</strong> this tradition on <strong>the</strong>ir perspectives <strong>and</strong> judgments. The<br />
processes <strong>of</strong> writ<strong>in</strong>g texts explor<strong>in</strong>g cultural difference <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> literary-<br />
critical practices <strong>of</strong> evaluat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> success <strong>of</strong> such texts similarly form part<br />
<strong>of</strong> a counter-hegemonic movement attempt<strong>in</strong>g to redress a long history <strong>of</strong><br />
imperialism, a movement which seeks to promote a fem<strong>in</strong>ist postcolonial<br />
perspective.<br />
Batts (1992) asserts <strong>the</strong> responsibility <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> postcolonial critic ‘to read<br />
works <strong>of</strong> literature for <strong>the</strong>ir stated <strong>and</strong> unstated assumptions about <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r’<br />
(p.xxviii). He sees this as necessary given <strong>the</strong> ‘neocolonial sensibility which<br />
does appear <strong>in</strong> many books for <strong>the</strong> young’ (p.xxiv). Batts def<strong>in</strong>es<br />
‘neocolonialism’ as a style <strong>of</strong> writ<strong>in</strong>g that …manifests itself as both a<br />
depiction <strong>of</strong> m<strong>in</strong>ority cultures as <strong>in</strong>veterately o<strong>the</strong>r <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>ferior <strong>in</strong> some way<br />
to <strong>the</strong> dom<strong>in</strong>ant European or Eurocentric culture, or as an appropriation <strong>of</strong><br />
o<strong>the</strong>r cultures – that is, an assimilation <strong>of</strong> m<strong>in</strong>ority cultures <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong><br />
ma<strong>in</strong>stream way <strong>of</strong> th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g. (Batts,1992, p.xxiv).<br />
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This position is fur<strong>the</strong>r elaborated by Anderson, who claims that this process<br />
<strong>of</strong> redef<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> relationship between self <strong>and</strong> cultural o<strong>the</strong>r is <strong>in</strong>dicative <strong>of</strong><br />
‘a changed world characterized by <strong>in</strong>creased tolerance <strong>and</strong> underst<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g’<br />
but also po<strong>in</strong>ts to its capacity to mirror ‘a world saturated with imperialist<br />
ideas, stereotypes, <strong>and</strong> narratives’ (2000, p.1). A more po<strong>in</strong>ted observation<br />
by Esp<strong>in</strong>et (1999) locates <strong>the</strong> resistance to change <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> humanist tradition,<br />
claim<strong>in</strong>g that ‘<strong>the</strong> entire field <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> humanities is vitiated by a compulsion<br />
to claim a spurious universality <strong>and</strong> also to disguise its political <strong>in</strong>vestment<br />
<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> production <strong>of</strong> “dom<strong>in</strong>ant knowledges” (p.44).<br />
Moreover a good def<strong>in</strong>ition <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Orient is <strong>the</strong> one proposed by Edward<br />
Said who def<strong>in</strong>ed it as:<br />
The place <strong>of</strong> Europe’s greatest <strong>and</strong> richest <strong>and</strong> oldest colonies,<br />
<strong>the</strong> source <strong>of</strong> its civilisations <strong>and</strong> its languages, its cultural<br />
contestant, <strong>and</strong> one <strong>of</strong> its deepest <strong>and</strong> recurr<strong>in</strong>g images <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
O<strong>the</strong>r. In addition, <strong>the</strong> Orient has helped to def<strong>in</strong>e Europe (or<br />
<strong>the</strong> West) as its contrast<strong>in</strong>g image, idea personality,<br />
experience. (Said, 1978, pp.1-2)<br />
Said uses Nietzsche’s philosophy to foreground <strong>the</strong> impossibility <strong>of</strong><br />
convey<strong>in</strong>g a s<strong>in</strong>gle 'objective' truth because attitudes are embodied <strong>in</strong> forms<br />
<strong>of</strong> language like idioms <strong>and</strong> metaphors. It is suggested that <strong>the</strong> ideas <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
Orient described by Said, although orig<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> n<strong>in</strong>eteenth century,<br />
cont<strong>in</strong>ue to permeate novels about life <strong>in</strong> contemporary India written from a<br />
Western po<strong>in</strong>t <strong>of</strong> view, with <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>tention <strong>of</strong> illum<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g cultural o<strong>the</strong>rness.<br />
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Discussion<br />
Every human be<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>in</strong> addition to hav<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>ir own personal identity, has a<br />
sense <strong>of</strong> who <strong>the</strong>y are <strong>in</strong> relation to <strong>the</strong> larger community--<strong>the</strong> nation.<br />
Postcolonial studies are <strong>the</strong> attempt to strip away conventional perspective<br />
<strong>and</strong> exam<strong>in</strong>e what that national identity might be for a postcolonial subject.<br />
To read literature from <strong>the</strong> perspective <strong>of</strong> postcolonial studies is to seek out--<br />
to listen for, that <strong>in</strong>digenous, representative voice which can <strong>in</strong>form <strong>the</strong><br />
world <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> essence <strong>of</strong> existence as a colonial subject, or as a postcolonial<br />
citizen. Postcolonial authors use <strong>the</strong>ir literature <strong>and</strong> poetry to solidify,<br />
through criticism <strong>and</strong> celebration, an emerg<strong>in</strong>g national identity, which <strong>the</strong>y<br />
have taken on <strong>the</strong> responsibility <strong>of</strong> represent<strong>in</strong>g. Surely, <strong>the</strong> reevaluation <strong>of</strong><br />
national identity is an eventual <strong>and</strong> essential result <strong>of</strong> a country ga<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g<br />
<strong>in</strong>dependence from a colonial power, or a country emerg<strong>in</strong>g from a fledgl<strong>in</strong>g<br />
settler colony. However, to claim to be representative <strong>of</strong> that entire identity<br />
is a huge undertak<strong>in</strong>g for an author try<strong>in</strong>g to convey a postcolonial message.<br />
Each nation, prov<strong>in</strong>ce, isl<strong>and</strong>, state, neighborhood <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>dividual is its own<br />
unique amalgamation <strong>of</strong> history, culture, language <strong>and</strong> tradition. Only by<br />
underst<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> embrac<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> idea <strong>of</strong> cultural hybridity when attempt<strong>in</strong>g<br />
to explore <strong>the</strong> concept <strong>of</strong> national identity can any one <strong>in</strong>dividual, or nation,<br />
truly hope to underst<strong>and</strong> or communicate <strong>the</strong> last<strong>in</strong>g effects <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> colonial<br />
process.<br />
Post-colonialism is <strong>the</strong> cont<strong>in</strong>ual shedd<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> old sk<strong>in</strong> <strong>of</strong> Western<br />
thought <strong>and</strong> discourse <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> emergence <strong>of</strong> new self-awareness, critique,<br />
<strong>and</strong> celebration. With this self-awareness comes self-expression. But how<br />
should <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>habitants <strong>of</strong> a colonial territory, or formerly colonized country<br />
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or prov<strong>in</strong>ce see <strong>the</strong>mselves, once <strong>the</strong>y have achieved <strong>the</strong>ir <strong>in</strong>dependence?<br />
With whom will <strong>the</strong>y identify? As an example <strong>in</strong> a country like India, prior<br />
to 1947, most people identified <strong>the</strong>mselves as Indians, aga<strong>in</strong>st <strong>the</strong> identity <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong>ir British oppressors. Theirs was a strong feel<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> communal, national<br />
identity, fostered by a shared resentment <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> British colonial powers.<br />
However, after 1947, after be<strong>in</strong>g granted autonomy, India's populace slowly<br />
dis<strong>in</strong>tegrated <strong>in</strong>to more <strong>and</strong> more divided factions, as <strong>the</strong> "national" identity<br />
shrunk, <strong>and</strong> people found o<strong>the</strong>r, closer groups to identify with. The<br />
ambiguous <strong>and</strong> shift<strong>in</strong>g nature <strong>of</strong> national identity is thus <strong>in</strong>tegral to a<br />
discussion <strong>of</strong> postcolonial <strong>the</strong>ory, as identification with one group <strong>in</strong>evitably<br />
leads to differentiation with o<strong>the</strong>rs.<br />
In his def<strong>in</strong>itive book about <strong>the</strong> concept <strong>of</strong> "nation" <strong>and</strong> "nationalism,"<br />
Imag<strong>in</strong>ed Communities, Benedict Anderson says:<br />
In an anthropological spirit, <strong>the</strong>n, I propose <strong>the</strong> follow<strong>in</strong>g<br />
def<strong>in</strong>ition <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> nation: it is an imag<strong>in</strong>ed political community--<br />
<strong>and</strong> imag<strong>in</strong>ed as both <strong>in</strong>herently limited <strong>and</strong> sovereign. It is a<br />
cultural construct, a man-made artifice. (Anderson, 1997, p. 5).<br />
His work refers to anthropological data, as he ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>s that <strong>the</strong> concept <strong>of</strong><br />
"nation" is truly a cultural construct, “a man-made artifice”. Thus, for<br />
Anderson, it is "imag<strong>in</strong>ed." Nation, <strong>and</strong> identity, beg<strong>in</strong>s with one's family<br />
<strong>and</strong> closest friends, <strong>and</strong> slowly moves out from this center. In our<br />
contemporary example, two residents <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> same country may live <strong>in</strong><br />
completely different geographical climates, hav<strong>in</strong>g very little <strong>in</strong> common<br />
with each o<strong>the</strong>r. In such a case, one may have a personal identity, <strong>and</strong><br />
identify with a more local "nation," yet be part <strong>of</strong> a political nation as<br />
def<strong>in</strong>ed by demarcated boundary l<strong>in</strong>es, drawn on a map. As Anderson says,<br />
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"All communities larger than primordial villages <strong>of</strong> face-to-face contact <strong>and</strong><br />
perhaps even <strong>the</strong>se are imag<strong>in</strong>ed" (Anderson, 1997, p. 6).<br />
As earlier mentioned, Post-colonialism is <strong>the</strong> cont<strong>in</strong>ual shedd<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> old<br />
sk<strong>in</strong> <strong>of</strong> Western thought <strong>and</strong> discourse <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> emergence <strong>of</strong> new self-<br />
awareness, critique, <strong>and</strong> celebration. How should <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>habitants <strong>of</strong> a<br />
colonial territory, or formerly colonized country or prov<strong>in</strong>ce see <strong>the</strong>mselves,<br />
once <strong>the</strong>y have achieved <strong>the</strong>ir <strong>in</strong>dependence? With whom will <strong>the</strong>y identify?<br />
Such questions have been <strong>the</strong> subject <strong>of</strong> debate among many postcolonial<br />
critics at least s<strong>in</strong>ce 1980’s, if not longer than that, which is commonly<br />
believed to be <strong>the</strong> po<strong>in</strong>t <strong>of</strong> emergence for postcolonial <strong>the</strong>ory, with <strong>the</strong><br />
publication <strong>of</strong> Orientalism by Edward Said. The long-runn<strong>in</strong>g Western<br />
colonialist perspective <strong>of</strong> nation seems to be: that simply by draw<strong>in</strong>g l<strong>in</strong>es<br />
on a piece <strong>of</strong> paper <strong>and</strong> form<strong>in</strong>g a government with<strong>in</strong> those l<strong>in</strong>es, a cohesive<br />
political entity can be created. A perfect example <strong>of</strong> this lies <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> formation<br />
<strong>of</strong> modern India. Prior to British colonization <strong>of</strong> India, <strong>the</strong>re existed, <strong>in</strong><br />
relative harmony, one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> most diverse <strong>and</strong> heterogeneous populations on<br />
<strong>the</strong> planet. Communities <strong>and</strong> culture gave people <strong>the</strong>ir identity. By <strong>the</strong> time<br />
India achieved its <strong>in</strong>dependence, however, <strong>the</strong> British had created a<br />
bureaucracy, boundaries <strong>and</strong> centralized government, <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> likeness <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
prototypical Western nation-state.<br />
For <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>habitants <strong>of</strong> India dur<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> colonial years <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> time lead<strong>in</strong>g to<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir <strong>in</strong>dependence, embrac<strong>in</strong>g a national identity was not a difficult task, for<br />
several reasons. The first is that it is easiest for someone to identify<br />
<strong>the</strong>mselves <strong>in</strong> terms <strong>of</strong> contrast with ano<strong>the</strong>r, outside identity. People liv<strong>in</strong>g<br />
<strong>in</strong> India prior to 1947 were striv<strong>in</strong>g for <strong>in</strong>dependence from shared oppression<br />
by <strong>the</strong> British. Thus, no matter what <strong>the</strong>ir cultural background may have<br />
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een, or <strong>the</strong>ir geographical location with<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> emerg<strong>in</strong>g nation <strong>of</strong> India,<br />
anyone who was not a member <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> colonial <strong>in</strong>stitution could view<br />
<strong>the</strong>mselves as be<strong>in</strong>g victimized by flat <strong>in</strong>stitution, <strong>and</strong> could identify with<br />
every o<strong>the</strong>r "Indian" <strong>in</strong> that victimization. Ano<strong>the</strong>r example could be a<br />
participant <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Negritude movement <strong>in</strong> Africa, who could celebrate be<strong>in</strong>g<br />
black only by contrast<strong>in</strong>g black with white. And yet ano<strong>the</strong>r example lies<br />
with any country, any nation, which is at war with ano<strong>the</strong>r. <strong>National</strong>ist<br />
sentiment reaches a crescendo dur<strong>in</strong>g war by differentiat<strong>in</strong>g one's own<br />
country from that <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> enemy.<br />
The second reason that it is relatively easy for colonized subjects to adopt<br />
<strong>and</strong> live a national identity lies <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> fact that <strong>the</strong> very identity adopted by<br />
<strong>the</strong> oppressed has been most likely encouraged by <strong>the</strong> oppressor. This<br />
touches on <strong>the</strong> idea <strong>of</strong> hegemony as postulated by Antonio Gramsci.<br />
Grarnsci was <strong>in</strong>terested <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> subject <strong>of</strong> subord<strong>in</strong>ation as it existed with<strong>in</strong> a<br />
colony or nation. He ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>ed that colonial powers would not have been<br />
able to ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir rule over colonized people without <strong>the</strong> implicit, if<br />
unconscious permission <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> colonized subjects. He believed that<br />
subord<strong>in</strong>ation over long periods entailed <strong>the</strong> participation <strong>of</strong> those<br />
subord<strong>in</strong>ated. As Ania Loomba po<strong>in</strong>ts out <strong>in</strong> Colonialism or<br />
Postcolonialism, "Gramsci argued that <strong>the</strong> rul<strong>in</strong>g classes achieve dom<strong>in</strong>ation<br />
not by force or coercion alone, but also by creat<strong>in</strong>g subjects who 'will<strong>in</strong>gly'<br />
submit to be<strong>in</strong>g ruled" ( Loomba, 2006, p.29).<br />
Colonial authority wanted a subject to feel a sense <strong>of</strong> national spirit. The<br />
British wanted <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>habitants <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir newly-constructed India to embrace<br />
<strong>the</strong> idea <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir be<strong>in</strong>g "Indian,"( Anderson, 1997, p. 56) albeit <strong>in</strong> a form laid<br />
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out by <strong>the</strong> British. Before <strong>the</strong> British consolidated <strong>the</strong>ir <strong>in</strong>fluence <strong>in</strong>to a<br />
territory <strong>the</strong>y called India, it was an immensely varied, heterogeneous mass<br />
<strong>of</strong> different religions, political <strong>and</strong> cultural beliefs. Hav<strong>in</strong>g drawn l<strong>in</strong>es <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
s<strong>and</strong> which def<strong>in</strong>ed India, <strong>and</strong> hav<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>stituted a central government, <strong>the</strong><br />
British expected Parsi, Kashmiri, Muslim, H<strong>in</strong>du, Buddhist, upper <strong>and</strong><br />
lower-class or caste to th<strong>in</strong>k <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>mselves as Indian <strong>and</strong> to respect <strong>the</strong><br />
British-established government. The British gave <strong>the</strong> Indian people a model<br />
<strong>of</strong> "Indian,"(Anderson, 1997, p.56) <strong>of</strong> be<strong>in</strong>g a British subject, <strong>and</strong> expected<br />
<strong>the</strong> population to embrace it, which, <strong>in</strong> most cases, <strong>the</strong>y did. This is what<br />
Anderson refers to as "mental miscegenation."(Anderson, 1997, p.57)<br />
Once a country like India achieved its <strong>in</strong>dependence from <strong>the</strong> British<br />
colonial mach<strong>in</strong>e, how <strong>the</strong>n were <strong>the</strong>se people supposed to identify<br />
<strong>the</strong>mselves? They were a vast nation <strong>of</strong> a tremendously varied cultural<br />
history, labeled "Indian' by <strong>the</strong> very powers <strong>the</strong>y had striven to evict from<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir country. Only by explor<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> idea <strong>of</strong> "cultural nationalism" can this<br />
phenomenon be at all understood. This l<strong>in</strong>e <strong>of</strong> th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g attributes national<br />
identity not so much to boundaries <strong>and</strong> political mach<strong>in</strong>ations, but, ra<strong>the</strong>r, to<br />
more elemental cultural <strong>and</strong> community-oriented aspects <strong>of</strong> one's persona.<br />
It must be remembered that Anderson has def<strong>in</strong>ed "nation" as an "imag<strong>in</strong>ed<br />
political community." This essays has discussed why it is "imag<strong>in</strong>ed," but<br />
why does he consider <strong>the</strong> nation a “community” ? He says:<br />
F<strong>in</strong>ally, it [<strong>the</strong> nation] is imag<strong>in</strong>ed as a community because,<br />
regardless <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> actual <strong>in</strong>equality <strong>and</strong> exploitation that may<br />
prevail <strong>in</strong> each, <strong>the</strong> nation is always conceived as a deep,<br />
horizontal comradeship. (Anderson,1997, p. 7).<br />
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But, as an American, does one feel "a deep, horizontal comradeship" for a<br />
fellow citizen liv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> Alaska? Or is <strong>the</strong>re more fraternity to be found with<br />
someone <strong>of</strong> similar religious belief or ethnic background? This is where <strong>the</strong><br />
ambiguity surround<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> concept <strong>of</strong> "national identity" emerges. As<br />
Loomba states, "Perhaps <strong>the</strong> connection between postcolonial writ<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> nation can be better comprehended by underst<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g that <strong>the</strong> 'nation'<br />
itself is a ground <strong>of</strong> dispute <strong>and</strong> debate, a site for <strong>the</strong> compet<strong>in</strong>g imag<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>gs<br />
<strong>of</strong> different ideological <strong>and</strong> political <strong>in</strong>terests" (Loomba, 2006, p. 207). It is<br />
right to believe that this "dispute <strong>and</strong> debate"(p.58) can be successfully<br />
jo<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>and</strong> undertaken only with knowledge <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> work <strong>of</strong> Homi K. Bhabha,<br />
as it relates to <strong>the</strong> concept <strong>of</strong> "cultural hybridity."(1990, p.56)<br />
Bhabha put forth his idea <strong>of</strong> hybridity to expla<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> very unique sense <strong>of</strong><br />
identity shared <strong>and</strong> experienced <strong>in</strong>dividually by members <strong>of</strong> a former<br />
colonized people. He ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>s that members <strong>of</strong> a postcolonial society have<br />
an identity which has been shaped jo<strong>in</strong>tly by <strong>the</strong>ir own unique cultural <strong>and</strong><br />
community history, <strong>in</strong>tertw<strong>in</strong>ed with that <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> colonial power. Thus, for<br />
example, a Parsi <strong>in</strong> Bombay will have <strong>in</strong>corporated <strong>in</strong>to his or her personal<br />
<strong>and</strong> national identity <strong>the</strong> traditions <strong>in</strong>herent <strong>in</strong> be<strong>in</strong>g Parsi, be<strong>in</strong>g Muslim,<br />
<strong>and</strong> be<strong>in</strong>g an "Indian"--a member <strong>of</strong> a formerly oppressed society. Bhabha<br />
writes, "These hyphenated, hybridized cultural conditions are also forms <strong>of</strong> a<br />
vernacular cosmopolitanism that emerges <strong>in</strong> multicultural societies <strong>and</strong><br />
explicitly exceeds a particular national location" (1994, p. 23).<br />
Thus, hav<strong>in</strong>g illustrated <strong>the</strong> difficulties <strong>in</strong>herent <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> postcolonial subject's<br />
attempt to formulate a new personal <strong>and</strong> national identity, we return to <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>in</strong>itial, basic po<strong>in</strong>t <strong>of</strong> this discussion: How does a postcolonial author,<br />
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playwright or poet provide a reader with a true representation <strong>of</strong> a particular<br />
postcolonial condition? Who does <strong>the</strong> author claim to represent? If an author<br />
is Indian <strong>in</strong> orig<strong>in</strong>, does his writ<strong>in</strong>g represent <strong>the</strong> state <strong>of</strong> affairs for all<br />
Indians liv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> postcolonial India? The answer to this last question is<br />
transparently "no." The quality <strong>of</strong> life <strong>and</strong> historical circumstances vary too<br />
widely from town to town, neighbourhood to neighbourhood, family to<br />
family, <strong>and</strong>, ultimately, from <strong>in</strong>dividual to <strong>in</strong>dividual. The question rema<strong>in</strong>s<br />
<strong>the</strong>n: is <strong>the</strong>re a way for postcolonial authors to convey <strong>the</strong>ir respective<br />
messages about <strong>the</strong> colonial condition without assum<strong>in</strong>g a def<strong>in</strong>itive "voice,"<br />
without presum<strong>in</strong>g that <strong>the</strong>y speak for all members <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir respective<br />
"nation?" It should be ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>ed that <strong>the</strong>re are at least three authors who<br />
have <strong>in</strong>corporated Bhabha's <strong>the</strong>ory <strong>of</strong> cultural hybridity <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong>ir works, <strong>and</strong><br />
thus are able to communicate <strong>the</strong> postcolonial condition to <strong>the</strong> rest <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
world. These authors are, Bapsi Sidhwa <strong>and</strong> David Malouf whose works<br />
should be considered <strong>the</strong> qu<strong>in</strong>tessential fictional novels for illustrat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong><br />
near <strong>in</strong>surmountable difficulties <strong>in</strong>herent <strong>in</strong> creat<strong>in</strong>g a national identity<br />
amongst a hugely heterogeneous postcolonial society <strong>of</strong> India's troubled<br />
attempt at forg<strong>in</strong>g a national consciousness immediately after achiev<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
<strong>in</strong>dependence from Great Brita<strong>in</strong>. It is described <strong>the</strong> shared excitement <strong>and</strong><br />
nationalist sentiments felt by <strong>the</strong> population <strong>of</strong> India as <strong>the</strong> day <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
<strong>in</strong>dependence grew near:<br />
There was an extra festival on <strong>the</strong> calendar, a new myth to<br />
celebrate, because a nation which had never previously existed<br />
was about to w<strong>in</strong> its freedom, catapult<strong>in</strong>g us <strong>in</strong>to a world which,<br />
although it had five thous<strong>and</strong> years <strong>of</strong> history, although it had<br />
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<strong>in</strong>vented <strong>the</strong> game <strong>of</strong> chess <strong>and</strong> traded with Middle K<strong>in</strong>gdom<br />
Egypt, was never<strong>the</strong>less quite imag<strong>in</strong>ary; <strong>in</strong>to a mythical l<strong>and</strong>, a<br />
country which would never exist except by <strong>the</strong> efforts <strong>of</strong> a<br />
phenomenal collective will--except <strong>in</strong> a dream we all agreed to<br />
dream; it was a mass fantasy shared <strong>in</strong> vary<strong>in</strong>g degrees by<br />
Bengali <strong>and</strong> Punjabi, Madrasi <strong>and</strong> Jat, <strong>and</strong> would periodically<br />
need <strong>the</strong> sanctification <strong>and</strong> renewal which can only be provided<br />
by rituals <strong>of</strong> blood (Malouf, p.130).<br />
As <strong>the</strong> novel progresses, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> populace <strong>of</strong> India exam<strong>in</strong>e <strong>the</strong>ir new<br />
respective identities, people beg<strong>in</strong> to narrow those identities, limit<strong>in</strong>g more<br />
<strong>and</strong> more <strong>the</strong>ir respective concepts <strong>of</strong> "nation." Identification as "Indian"<br />
gives way to identification with religious beliefs, ethnic backgrounds <strong>and</strong><br />
political convictions. And with each new phase <strong>of</strong> emerg<strong>in</strong>g identity, a new<br />
differentiation occurs between one member <strong>of</strong> Indian society <strong>and</strong> ano<strong>the</strong>r.<br />
As <strong>the</strong>se differentiations are fur<strong>the</strong>r recognized <strong>and</strong> legitimized, a pattern<br />
<strong>of</strong> hegemony <strong>and</strong> violence ensues which threatens to tear <strong>the</strong> new nation <strong>of</strong><br />
India apart.<br />
Bapsi Sidhwa articulates this same <strong>the</strong>me <strong>in</strong> An American Brat(1993). She<br />
approaches this same idea <strong>of</strong> Indian society pull<strong>in</strong>g itself apart <strong>in</strong> its quest<br />
for a shared, postcolonial, national identity by focus<strong>in</strong>g on one small<br />
neighborhood <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Punjab prov<strong>in</strong>ce. The <strong>in</strong>habitants <strong>of</strong> this small,<br />
relatively <strong>in</strong>sular community hardly notice <strong>the</strong> differences between one<br />
ano<strong>the</strong>r until India achieves its <strong>in</strong>dependence, <strong>and</strong> is partitioned <strong>in</strong>to<br />
Pakistan <strong>and</strong> India. As <strong>the</strong> novel progresses, this happy community is<br />
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slowly tom apart by violent <strong>in</strong>stances <strong>of</strong> racism <strong>and</strong> religious fanaticism.<br />
This is foreshadowed early <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> book, dur<strong>in</strong>g a conversation between<br />
various members <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> neighborhood <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> outgo<strong>in</strong>g British Inspector<br />
General <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Police. The Inspector General is argu<strong>in</strong>g with Mr. S<strong>in</strong>gh, a<br />
Sikh, about what will happen <strong>in</strong> India once <strong>the</strong> British have left:<br />
Rivers <strong>of</strong> blood will flow all right! he shouts, almost as loudly<br />
as Mr. S<strong>in</strong>gh. ‘Nehru <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Congress will not have everyth<strong>in</strong>g<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir way! They will have to reckon with <strong>the</strong> Muslim League<br />
<strong>and</strong> J<strong>in</strong>nah. If we quit India today, old chap, you'll bloody fall at<br />
each o<strong>the</strong>r's throats! ... Mr. S<strong>in</strong>gh replies, ‘H<strong>in</strong>du, Muslim,<br />
Sikh: we all want <strong>the</strong> same th<strong>in</strong>g! We want <strong>in</strong>dependence’!<br />
(Sidhwa, 1993, 71).<br />
Essentially, <strong>the</strong> message be<strong>in</strong>g communicated by this novel is that <strong>in</strong><br />
forg<strong>in</strong>g an identity, ei<strong>the</strong>r on an <strong>in</strong>dividual basis, or as a nation, <strong>the</strong><br />
stronger one feels about belong<strong>in</strong>g to one group, <strong>the</strong> more separated <strong>the</strong>y<br />
become from ano<strong>the</strong>r. This is embrac<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> exact anti<strong>the</strong>sis <strong>of</strong> cultural<br />
hybridity as espoused by Bhabha.<br />
Ano<strong>the</strong>r unique approach to <strong>the</strong> use <strong>of</strong> cultural hybridity <strong>in</strong> a postcolonial<br />
text has been utilized by David Malouf, <strong>in</strong> his novel Remember<strong>in</strong>g<br />
Babylon(1995). Malouf writes <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> formative years <strong>of</strong> an Australian<br />
settler colony, <strong>and</strong> uses a very unique character, that <strong>of</strong> Gemmy, to<br />
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illustrate <strong>the</strong> vast differences between <strong>the</strong> settlers <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> aborig<strong>in</strong>als, <strong>and</strong>,<br />
eventually, between <strong>the</strong> settlers <strong>the</strong>mselves. Gemmy is a white man who<br />
has grown up amongst <strong>the</strong> aborig<strong>in</strong>als. He has been away from Western<br />
society for so long that he is unable to communicate competently, or affect<br />
legitimate social discourse with <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r whites. He comes to live with a<br />
young settler colony, <strong>and</strong> Malouf uses him to illustrate differences between<br />
all members <strong>of</strong> this colony. As each member <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> colony tries to analyze<br />
<strong>the</strong> differences between <strong>the</strong>mselves <strong>and</strong> Gemmy, <strong>the</strong>y come to realize<br />
fundamental differences amongst <strong>the</strong>m all. As Mr. Frazer writes <strong>in</strong> his<br />
logbook, "We must rub our eyes <strong>and</strong> look aga<strong>in</strong>, clear our m<strong>in</strong>ds <strong>of</strong> what<br />
we are look<strong>in</strong>g for to see what is <strong>the</strong>re" (Malouf, 1995, p. 130).<br />
Conclusion<br />
Accord<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong> study <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> selected novels <strong>of</strong> Malouf <strong>and</strong> Sidhw about<br />
national identity <strong>and</strong> hybridity <strong>in</strong> a postcolonial atmosphere, as it was earlier<br />
po<strong>in</strong>ted out, both <strong>the</strong>se novelists conform to <strong>the</strong> <strong>the</strong>ories proposed by some<br />
prom<strong>in</strong>ent postcolonial <strong>the</strong>orists as Anderson, Bhabha, Said <strong>and</strong> Spivak <strong>in</strong> a<br />
unique <strong>and</strong> at <strong>the</strong> same time complementary way. To conclude attention<br />
must be paid to <strong>the</strong> fact that what <strong>the</strong>se two novels share is that each member<br />
<strong>of</strong> a postcolonial society would love to encounter one specific voice which<br />
could articulate <strong>the</strong>ir particular suffer<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> oppression under <strong>the</strong> colonial<br />
<strong>in</strong>stitution--one voice which would articulate <strong>the</strong>ir own sense <strong>of</strong> national<br />
identity. But exploration <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se societies, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> literature produced by<br />
postcolonial authors <strong>and</strong> poets illustrates that <strong>the</strong>re is a veritable <strong>in</strong>f<strong>in</strong>ite<br />
number <strong>of</strong> differ<strong>in</strong>g circumstances <strong>in</strong>herent <strong>in</strong> each postcolonial society, <strong>and</strong>,<br />
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consequently, <strong>in</strong> each piece <strong>of</strong> literature produced by postcolonial writers. If<br />
one is to read this literature <strong>in</strong> a way which will shed some light on <strong>the</strong><br />
postcolonial condition, one must underst<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> adopt <strong>the</strong> <strong>the</strong>ory that we are<br />
all walk<strong>in</strong>g amalgamations <strong>of</strong> our own unique cultures <strong>and</strong> traditions. We<br />
are all always struggl<strong>in</strong>g with our own identities, personal <strong>and</strong> national. We<br />
must underst<strong>and</strong> that <strong>the</strong>re is no "one true voice" represent<strong>in</strong>g an easily<br />
identifiable postcolonial condition, but, <strong>in</strong>stead, each author is his or her<br />
own voice <strong>and</strong> must be read as such.<br />
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About <strong>the</strong> Authors -<br />
- Daryoosh Hayati- Lamerd Branch. Islamic Azad University, Iran.<br />
dhayati@iaulamerd.ac.ir , dhhayati1354@gmail.com<br />
- Eisa Amiri - Lamerd Branch, Islamic Azad University, Iran.<br />
BARNOLIPI - An Interdiscipl<strong>in</strong>ary Journal - Volume - II. Issue – II. ISSN 2249 –2666<br />
www.reflectionedu.com/barnolipi.php © REFLECTION Mentor<strong>in</strong>g Services<br />
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