Hanif Kureishi's "We are Not Jews" in the Perspective of PostColonialism: Hybridity, Othering and Unhomeliness

Abstract

The article analyzes Hanif Kureishi's short story "We Are Not Jews" through a postcolonial lens, focusing on the key concepts of unhomeliness, Othering, and Hybridity proposed by Homi K. Bhabha. The study demonstrates how colonial ideologies continue to persist, as the main characters struggle with their search for identity and cultural belonging. This struggle leads to a sense of hybridity and unhomeliness. While Bhabha's notion of universal culture suggests positive possibilities, the story highlights the dominance of colonial ideologies, where colonial powers maintain superiority over the former colonized. The characters Azhar, Yvonne, and Azhar's father experience a lack of belonging, which contributes to their hybrid identities and relegates them to the status of "the Other." Despite the end of colonialism, cultural dominance remains, with white individuals treating immigrants as inferior, devoid of identity and culture. The unjust treatment of Azhar’s family by Billy further reinforces Bhabha's concepts of unhomeliness, Othering, and hybridity, allowing for a postcolonial interpretation of the story.