A Postcolonial Study of Hybrid Identity through ‘Varieties of Object’ in Shamsie’s A God in Every Stone

Abstract

The study aims to explore hybrid identity through ‘varieties of object’ in Shamsie’s A God in Every Stone from a postcolonial perspective. Postcolonial studies break free from the stereotypical portrayal of the East and the West by emphasizing a fluid version of identity shaped through history as well as contemporary geopolitical realities. A qualitative textual analysis is carried out through Burke’s category of hybrid objects including artefacts, people, practices and hybrid text. The analysis is done through the application of postcolonial theoretical postulates of third space and fluid identity by Bhabha and Hall. The study concludes that nations or groups of people exist on a cultural continuum and the boundaries between them remain fluid. The study is significant as it approaches the postcolonial issue of hybrid identity in an all-encompassing manner by suggesting to go beyond mere character analysis toward the study of infrastructure and textual formation of the novel.